Primeval The Return
by The Hooded Duff
Summary: Continues from where series 3 ended, concluding the story of the return of Danny, Connor and Abby.
1. Chapter 1 Lost in Time

PRIMEVAL – THE RETURN

Chapter 1

Danny Quinn slumped down on the ground. The realisation of being trapped four million years from home still made his head swim.

"Come on Danny," he said to himself, regaining some of his composure. "You've been in worse situations," he added, crawling into the shade and leaning against a large rock. He looked up at the clear blue sky and started to laugh. "Can't think of any just at this moment though," he sighed, opening his backpack and taking out a bottle of water. He looked at the place where the anomaly had been. "Should I stay here and hope the anomaly reopens?" he asked himself. "Or should." He stopped and hit his head with his knuckles. "Danny, you're an idiot," he shouted, shoving the bottle of water back into his backpack and standing up. "Helen's got the device," he added. He collected a few large rocks and built a marker to identify the anomaly site then set off back to the place where Helen's body lay under the raptor. "I can use the device to get back to where Connor and Abby are," he said, marking the trail as he went.

"Better not turn over," said Connor Temple, looking down into the blackness of the Cretaceous night from the nest he was sharing with Abby Maitland, high up in a tree.

"What?" Abby muttered sleepily.

"I was just thinking out loud," Connor replied. "It's a long way down," he added, flicking a small stick into the darkness.

"Just go to sleep," sighed Abby. "We need the rest. I think tomorrow might be a long day."

Connor sighed and moved slightly trying to ease his aching body. 'Idiot,' he thought. 'Becker warned us about those stun grenades, and what did I do?' Connor moved again, trying not to disturb Abby. 'She must think I'm a right nerd,' he thought, looking at Abby. He could just make out Abby's face, illuminated by the soft light of the stars. Connor smiled as he remembered their kiss on the day they'd saved her brother. 'Jack was a bit of an idiot,' thought Connor. 'And I had to move out of the flat so he could stay there, but it was through him I got to kiss Abby.' Connor moved again and let out a shout as a pain shot up his leg.

"What?" said Abby, sitting up.

"Sorry," Connor replied, giving Abby a weak smile. "I just caught my ankle."

"Does it hurt a lot?" asked Abby, looking at Connor's foot.

"Like I said before," Connor replied. "It's either broken or a really bad sprain. Getting up here didn't help."

Abby nodded. "At least we're safe from those raptors up here," she said, gently stroking Connor's leg.

"You did mean it?" Connor asked, putting his hand on Abby's leg.

"Mean what?" Abby replied.

"About me, you know," Connor stammered. "Coming back to the flat."

"Yeh," smiled Abby. "Of course." Although it had been good to see her brother again, Abby was glad he'd gone. It had become rather complicated, what with Jack gambling away Rex and also finding out about the anomalies. 'Besides,' she thought, glancing at Connor. 'I got used to Connor being around.' She too thought of their kiss and smiled. 'Not the nerd I thought he was at first,' she thought.

A loud raucous screech made them both jump, bringing them back to the reality of their situation.

"If we ever get back home," Abby added quietly.

"We will," Connor replied, patting Abby's leg reassuringly. "We've got out of tighter spots than this."

"I wonder how Danny's getting on," said Abby, looking up at the star filled sky. "I wonder if he's caught up with Helen."

Connor shrugged. "She's dangerous," he said. "The way she shot Cutter in cold blood."

"Try not to think about it," said Abby, feeling a shiver run down Connor's leg.

"You don't think using the anomalies so many times affected her mind, do you?" asked Connor.

Abby shrugged. "Who knows," she replied. "But somewhere along the way she definitely lost the plot."

"At least we're still here," Connor added. "So she can't have done anything yet."

"Come on," said Abby, carefully lying back down. "Try and get some rest."

Connor rested his back against the trunk of the tree, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"So what's your plan?" asked Captain Becker, as he drove Sarah Page back to the ARC.

Sarah shook her head. "It's only an idea," she replied. "And even then, only a tenuous one."

"OK," replied Becker. "So?"

"Helen used some type of device to open an anomaly to stop those rhino things from trampling us, yes," said Sarah.

Becker nodded.

"Then she closed it again," Sarah added.

Becker looked a little puzzled.

Sarah sighed. "Don't you see," she continued. "She had to be in the right place to do it."

Becker nodded. "That's why she waited until the last moment," he said.

"Doors," said Sarah. "That's what Cutter could see, that's what he was plotting on his 3D model."

"So they aren't just random occurrences," put in Becker.

Sarah shook her head. "No, the doors are there, unseen until they open. You know, like secret doors in old houses. Archaeologists are always looking for secret doors in burial chambers."

"OK," Becker interrupted. "But how does this help us?"

"When I was looking through Helen's note book, I noticed some of the pages contained lists of numbers," Sarah explained. "At first I thought it was part of some code she'd devised."

Becker stopped in the garage of the ARC.

"Now," Sarah continued, as they hurried to her lab. "I'm wondering if they are coordinates."

"Like reference coordinates on a map," put in Becker.

"Exactly," said Sarah, as she went into her lab.

"The prodigal returns," said James Lester, as he walked into Sarah's lab. "Perhaps someone would be good enough to enlighten me."

"Sorry sir," said Becker. "Doctor Page needed to see Helen Cutter's note book."

"Oh?" questioned Lester. "Nothing better to do?"

Sarah gave a sigh and shot Lester an angry glance.

"We may be on to something," said Becker. "Or at least Doctor Page is," he added, explaining to Lester what Sarah was doing.

"I need to use the anomaly detector," said Sarah, hurrying from the lab.

"Fine, don't mind me," sighed Lester. "I'm only in charge," he added, following Sarah down the corridor.

Danny stopped for a drink. "It's certainly hot," he said, finding some shade. "Not like England in summer," he added, setting off again. 'Of course in this heat,' he thought, recalling some of the dead bodies he'd seen in his time as a police officer. 'Find the device and leave quickly,' he thought as he neared the site.

Danny took a deep breath and hurried over to Helen's body. He pushed the raptor off Helen's body and quickly checked her pockets.

"Where is it?" said Danny, double checking Helen's pockets. "It's got to be here somewhere," he added. "This might come in handy," he said, finding Helen's knife and slipping it into his pocket. "Her bag," sighed Danny. "What happened to her bag?"

Danny got up and checked the area. "Oh great," he sighed, looking up at the ledge from where Helen and the raptor had fallen. "She took it off up there," he added, walking to the rock face. "Doesn't look too bad," he said, as he started to climb.

Danny dragged himself onto the ledge and lay panting as sweat ran down his face. "What I wouldn't give for a shower," he said, standing up. He looked around and smiled as he saw Helen's backpack lying beside a large bolder. Danny picked up the backpack and sat down. "Now," he said, opening the backpack. "Where's the device."

Danny rummaged through Helen's backpack. "It must be here," he said, tipping everything out of the backpack. "She had it before she came here," he added, opening the pockets in the backpack. He gave an angry yell as he threw the backpack on the ground. "It's not here," he yelled, getting up and running to the edge of the ledge. "What did you do with it?" he shouted, looking down at Helen's body. "You can't be trusted even when you're dead."

"I thought so," said Sarah, sitting at the anomaly detector console.

Lester looked at the screens. "You do realise that anomalies could be opening and we wouldn't be able to detect them?" he asked, as he looked over Sarah's shoulder.

"I'm more bothered about Danny and the others," Sarah replied. "We need to find them."

"Just because they're late," said Lester. "It doesn't mean they're lost."

"They could be," started Becker.

Sarah turned and gave Becker a hard stare. She too had wondered if Danny, Connor and Abby were lying dead somewhere in time, but she'd pushed it from her mind. "Don't even think it," she said sharply. "They'll be back, they promised."

"Well, that's a load off my mind," Lester said dryly, as he headed back to his office.

Sarah looked at Becker. Deep down she knew that it was becoming more of a possibility. She knew what the future predators could do, and she'd almost been killed by the giant insects from the future. Once again she pushed the thought from her mind. 'No,' she thought. 'They're going to be fine. I know they are.'

Becker sat down next to Sarah. "Even if we do know where these anomalies are, what good is it?"

Sarah sat back and pushed her dark hair back, holding it behind her head. "I wondered when you'd ask that," she sighed.

"We have no way of opening the anomalies," Becker went on. "All we can do is wait for one to open and hope it leads to where we want to be."

Sarah slumped back in her chair. "I've got to do something," she said, turning to look at Becker, her eyes glistening with tears. "I should have gone with them."

Becker shook his head. "Danny was right," he said, putting his hand on Sarah's shoulder. "We had to check out the anomaly at Johnson's place, just in case it was Helen."

Sarah nodded. "I just feel so useless," she said, banging her hands on the table. "If only Connor was here, he might come up with." Her voice trailed off as she remembered what Connor had told her not long after she'd joined the team.

"What?" asked Becker, seeing the spark of an idea in Sarah's expression.

"Come on," said Sarah, getting up and heading for the door.

Becker ran to catch up to Sarah. "Now what?" he asked, as they hurried to Connor's lab.

"Just look at the state of this place," sighed Sarah, going into Connor's lab. "What a mess."

"What do you expect," laughed Becker. "He wouldn't last five minutes in the forces," he added, kicking a pair of boxer shorts to one side.

"It was after Connor made the locking device for the anomalies," said Sarah, hunting through sheets of paper strewn on a desk. "He said it might be possible."

"What might be possible?" asked Becker, following Sarah around the room.

Sarah stopped her search and looked at Becker. "Connor said that it might be possible to use the locking device to open anomalies."

Becker raised an eyebrow. "He never mentioned it to me," he said. "Or to Lester."

"I don't think he told anyone," Sarah replied, returning to her search. "You know Connor."

"Yes," smiled Becker. "Tries to pretend he's a genius, when half the time it's guess work and luck."

"He just needs to be focused," said Sarah. "And organized," she added with a sigh, as a stack of papers went scattering on the floor. "I only found out what he was doing because he let it slip one day."

Becker bent down to pick up some of the papers. "This wouldn't be what you're looking for?" he asked, picking up a sheet of paper with various drawings on it.

Sarah moved over to Becker. "That's it," she said excitedly, grabbing the paper. "These are the drawings he was working on the day he told me."

"You're welcome," smiled Becker.

Sarah was lost in the drawings on the paper. "No," she said, shaking her head. "This is only part of it."

Becker knelt down and rummaged through the papers. "Here's some more," he said, picking up a few more sheets and handing them to Sarah.

Sarah looked at the papers and nodded. "Yes," she said. "It looks like he was close to an answer," she added, heading back to her own lab.

"Anything else I can do?" asked Becker, following Sarah into her lab.

"I could use a coffee," said Sarah, sitting down at her desk and studying the papers.

"Reduced to tea boy," sighed Becker, as he turned and left Sarah's lab.


	2. Chapter 2 Dreams and new friends

Chapter 2

"Come on Abby," called Connor, as they ran, pursued by two raptors, towards the glowing anomaly. "Hurry," he shouted, grabbing Abby's hand.

"They're too fast," panted Abby. "We aren't going to make it."

"Just keep running," shouted Connor, almost dragging Abby along. "Only a few more steps."

One of the raptors lunged at Abby, catching her foot as she ran. She stumbled and fell, dragging Connor down with her.

The raptor was on them in a flash, it's sharp teeth and claws slashing at Abby and Connor. Connor struggled frantically with the raptor finally managing to break free long enough to grasp a sharp stick. He turned and thrust it into the raptor's eye just as it was about to bite into Abby's neck. The raptor reeled back in pain, shaking its head, trying to dislodge the stick from it's eye.

"Come on," shouted Connor, grabbing Abby and almost dragging her to the anomaly.

Abby cried out in pain as the second raptor grabbed her foot with its sharp teeth. "Connor," she shouted. "It's got me."

Connor turned, taking off his backpack as he did, and hit the raptor on the side of the face with the backpack. The stunned raptor let go of Abby's foot.

"Come on," yelled Connor, grabbing Abby. "We need to get through the anomaly," he added, noticing the fluctuating light coming from it. "It's about to close."

Abby screamed again as the raptor caught hold of her leg with its sharp teeth. "My leg," she screamed.

Connor turned and saw blood running from Abby's leg where the raptor had a tight grip. He also noticed the first raptor, although injured, moving towards them.

"Leave me," shouted Abby. "Save yourself."

"No," Connor replied. "I can't leave you, I love you."

The first raptor moved even closer. The second raptor let go of Abby and snapped at the first.

Connor could feel the force of the anomaly swirling around him as he pulled Abby through. "Almost there," he called.

Once again Abby screamed in pain. "Connor, they've got me," she screamed, as the raptors pulled her back through the anomaly.

"No," cried Connor, holding onto Abby's arm as tight as he could. "You can't die, not here, not like this."

Abby continued to scream, caught in the middle of the anomaly, in a deadly tug of war between Connor and the raptors.

"No," Connor cried again as he saw the anomaly fading even more. His feet started to slide towards the anomaly.

"Let me go," cried Abby. "Save yourself."

"No," sobbed Connor, tears rolling down his face. "I love you."

Abby's grip on Connor's arm loosened. "Please, let me go," she said calmly, looking into Connor's eyes. "I love you," she added. "One of us needs to go on."

Connor stumbled backwards, landing on his back, as the anomaly closed. "Abby," he cried, sitting up. "Abby." He looked down and yelled as he saw he was still holding Abby's hand.

"Connor." He could hear Abby calling. "Connor," came her voice again.

"She's still alive," said Connor. "Abby," he called.

"Connor," said Abby, shaking him. "Wake up."

"Abby," muttered Connor, still half asleep. "I."

"Connor," Abby said again, once again shaking him. "Wake up."

Connor opened his eyes and saw Abby leaning over him. "Abby," he yelled. "You're alive." He went to put his arms around her, but yelled in pain as he caught his ankle again.

"You were dreaming," scolded Abby. "It's a wonder you haven't attracted all of the predators in the forest."

"Sorry," said Connor dejectedly. "It was horrible."

"It's a wonder you didn't fall out of the tree," Abby went on. "Then what would have happened."

"I said I was sorry," said Connor, apologetically. "I can't help dreaming."

"Can't you dream quietly?" put in Abby. "They probably heard you back at the ARC."

"Well, at least they'll know we're still alive," smiled Connor.

Abby sighed and shook her head. "So," she asked, rather curious. "Are you going to tell me?"

Connor looked puzzled. "What?"

"You said I was still alive," added Abby. "So I take it I died in your dream."

Connor shuddered. "Don't ask," he replied. "It was horrible."

Abby gave a knowing nod.

"Err, Abby," said Connor, rather sheepishly. "I need to, you know," he added, not actually wanting her to know he needed to go to the toilet.

Abby frowned and shook her head. "Know what?" she asked.

"You know," said Connor, becoming rather embarrassed. "I need to," he hesitated for a moment. "Go," he finally added.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Oh, right," she said, realising what Connor meant. "Can't you wait?"

"Until when?" asked Connor. "Someone invents public toilets. I don't think I can hold on that long."

Abby scratched her head. "Well, you'll have to wait until we get down from here," she said.

"Don't you," started Connor.

"No," cut in Abby.

Connor felt his stomach rumble. "What about breakfast?" he asked.

Abby looked at Connor and sighed. "I'll just whip up some bacon and eggs if you want," she said curtly.

"And toast," smiled Connor.

Abby smiled. "If you want," she sighed.

Danny looked at the things he'd taken from Helen's backpack. "At least she knew what to take with her," he said, noticing the bottles of water and survival rations. "Matches, another knife, compass, two spare magazines for the gun," he added, putting the things in his own backpack. He also found some bottles containing the poison Helen had used to kill the hominids. "I don't think I need to keep these," he said, opening the bottles and pouring out the crystals, grinding them into the dirt with his boot. He heard a noise from below. He crawled quietly to the edge of the ledge and looked down. There, below, were more hominids. Danny watched as they gathered the bodies of the dead and placed them together, covering them with stones. Danny shook his head. 'I bet no one thought they'd bury their dead,' he thought. He continued to watch as the group moved to where Helen and the raptor lay. They prodded both bodies then moved away, leaving them where they lay.

Danny smiled. 'Not our problem,' he thought. 'They obviously don't recognise Helen as being like them.' Danny suddenly got the feeling he wasn't alone, that he was being watched. He slowly turned his head and saw a dog like creature standing a few yards away. It had long, light sandy coloured hair, broad shoulders and a wide head. The animal seemed to be watching Danny, but it suddenly lifted its head, sniffed the air and bounded off making a yelping sound. Danny let out a long breath. "I wonder what happened to that gun Helen had?" he said to himself. He heard the yelping again, this time coming from below. He looked over the edge and saw at least ten of the dog like animals slowly moving in towards the bodies of Helen and the raptor. "Time to go," said Danny, quietly moving back from the edge. As Danny stood up, he felt something under his boot. He looked down and smiled. "You beauty," he whispered, picking up the gun Helen had been carrying. He wiped away the dust and inspected the gun. "At least I can protect myself," he said. "At least until the ammo runs out," he added, as he set off in the direction of the anomaly. He looked at the sky. "It'll be dark soon," he said. "I'd better find somewhere safe to make a camp. Go back to the anomaly site tomorrow."

Becker yawned. "You should rest," he said to Sarah. "It's after three in the morning."

Sarah shook her head. "We haven't heard from your men guarding the anomaly," she said. "So that means they haven't returned."

Becker nodded. "Any further forward?" he asked.

Sarah sighed. "I'm an archaeologist, not an electronic expert," she said. "I understand some of what Connor has written, but some of it is meaningless. Sidebands, eddy currents, magnetic fluxes."

"Well, we know that the anomalies produce magnetic fluxes," said Becker. "They make a compass go wild. They also attract anything metallic."

"Like the spanner that knocked off the piece of the sun cage," added Sarah. She noticed the piece of magnetite Connor had taken from the museum. "This must have something to do with it," she sighed, tapping the magnetite with her pen. "The sun cage was made from it and we could move the anomaly that was held inside it."

"Pity Connor didn't write more things down," said Becker, picking up one of the sheets of paper. He smiled and shook his head. "Typical Connor," he laughed. "I need power," read Becker, putting the paper back on the desk.

"That's it," said Sarah.

Becker looked at Sarah. "What?" he asked. "You think Connor needs more power?"

"No," sighed Sarah. "He didn't want that sort of power, look," she added, showing Becker a diagram on another sheet of paper. "If an anomaly could be moved using the sun cage, then we should be able to move one using magnetism. All that is lacking is enough power to create a magnetic field large enough and powerful enough to hold the anomaly. That's what Connor meant."

"So how much power would we need?" asked Becker.

Sarah shrugged. "Looking at this," she said, reading Connor's notes. "A large generator."

"And copper coils to produce the magnetic field," added Becker, looking at the diagram.

"We need Lester," said Sarah. "Get things moving."

"He won't be too happy being woken up at this time," laughed Becker.

"Really," came a voice from the doorway.

Becker turned, recognising Lester's voice. "I just meant," he started.

"You thought I would be at home tucked up in bed," cut in Lester.

"No sir," replied Becker.

"Well, contrary to popular belief," Lester said dryly. "I do have a heart." He moved to where Sarah was sitting. "And you don't have the monopoly on worrying about Danny Quinn and the others," he added.

Sarah smiled.

"But I'll deny every word if you ever mention it to them," Lester added. "So," he went on, picking up Connor's notes. "What do we need?"

"Abby," said Connor, looking down from their nest high up in the tree. "How do we get down?"

"Same way we got up," Abby replied. "We climb."

"But my ankle," said Connor. "I doubt if I'll be able to."

"Don't worry," Abby cut in. "I'll help you."

Connor looked sceptical. "It's not as if you can carry me," he said.

"I managed to help you up here, didn't I?" questioned Abby.

"Well, yes, I suppose," Connor replied. "But my ankle feels a lot worse now."

Abby sighed. "Let's have a look at it," she said, taking hold of Connor's leg.

"Ow," yelled Connor. "That hurt."

"Don't be such a baby," scolded Abby. "Now," she added, feeling Connor's ankle. "Does this hurt?"

Connor jumped as the pain shot up his leg. "Yes," he replied.

"Hmm," said Abby, pulling up Connor's trouser leg. "There's a lot of bruising around here," she added, gently squeezing Connor's ankle.

Connor jumped again. "Do you think it's broken?" he asked, looking at the bruising around his ankle.

"Hard to say," Abby replied. "There's nothing obvious, but you may have cracked a bone." She picked up her backpack and took out the small medical kit. "I'll strap it up as best I can, give it some support. It might help."

Connor nodded. Even though the pain was excruciating, he enjoyed being looked after by Abby.

"How do you think Danny's getting on?" asked Abby, trying to take Connor's mind off the pain as she bandaged his ankle.

"We're still here," replied Connor. "That's a good sign. At least Helen hasn't destroyed humanity."

Abby looked at Connor. "Do you think she could?" she asked. "Surely one person couldn't do that much damage."

Connor shrugged. "Who knows," he sighed. "Look at what happened when Cutter returned from that anomaly."

"You mean Claudia Brown became Jenny Lewis," said Abby, finishing off the bandaging.

"No one believed Cutter at first," said Connor. "But he was so adamant."

"So even one small alteration of the past could cause untold damage to the future," said Abby.

"We could get back and find things have changed already," shrugged Connor.

Abby sat and thought for a moment. She glanced at Connor. 'Who'd have thought I'd be falling for nerdy boy,' she thought. "Connor," she said, moving a little closer to him. "About that kiss."

"Heat of the moment, I perfectly understand," jabbered Connor. "You'd just got your brother back, your emotions."

"Connor," cut in Abby. "Shut up," she added, moving closer and kissing him.

The pain in Connor's ankle disappeared as he became lost in Abby's kiss. He put his arms around her and pulled her close.

A loud screech brought them back to reality. They sat for a few moments looking at each other.

"Does this mean we're sort of a couple now?" asked Connor.

"If you like," Abby replied.

Connor just smiled and nodded.

There was another screech and the sound of breaking branches. Abby and Connor looked around, desperately trying to see what was happening.

Abby took hold of Connor's hand. "Up there," she whispered, slowly pointing up into the canopy of the trees.

Connor looked up at where Abby was pointing. "Some type of pterosaur," he whispered. "I think we should."

Connor didn't get time to finish his sentence. The pterosaur suddenly lunged at them, narrowly missing Abby with it's long, tooth filled beak.

"Come on," called Abby, almost pulling Connor out of the tree. They started to climb down as quickly as they could, the pterosaur following, snapping at their heads as they went.

"Hurry," called Abby, helping Connor climb down the tree. "It's almost on us."

Connor could hear the snapping pterosaur getting closer. He looked up just as it lunged at Abby. "Look out," he shouted, pushing Abby the last few metres to the ground. Connor followed, his injured ankle forgotten in their flight. He hit the ground and yelled in pain.

"Are you OK?" panted Abby, rushing up to Connor, ready to pull him away from the still descending pterosaur.

Tears of pain ran down Connor's face. "I forgot," he gasped, holding on to his ankle.

Abby looked up. "Look out," she shouted, grabbing hold of Connor and rolling down the slight slope away from the tree.

The pterosaur shrieked in frustration as it hit the ground, missing what would have been its next meal.

Connor and Abby stopped rolling, Abby ending up lying on top of Connor.

"Thanks," smiled Connor, looking into Abby's blue eyes.

"You're welcome," Abby replied, starting to get up.

Connor grabbed her. "Don't move," he whispered.

Abby gave Connor a wary look. "Connor," she started. "This isn't the time or."

Connor put his hand over Abby's mouth. "Shh," he said, gesturing with his head.

Abby followed Connor's gaze. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes. "I hate this place," she whispered, holding tightly to Connor.

"It seems more interested in the pterosaur," whispered Connor, staring up at the huge frame of an allosaurus. "As long as we don't move, we should be OK."

The allosaurus let out a strange hissing noise as it readied itself to pounce on the pterosaur. The pterosaur shrieked loudly, turning to face the allosaurus. In it's haste to try and capture Abby and Connor, the pterosaur had become trapped under the tree canopy and was unable to take off. It had now become the prey to a larger, more deadly predator.

Connor and Abby watched, transfixed as the two beasts fought, locked together in a deadly wrestling match.

"Now's our chance," whispered Connor. "While they're too busy to notice us."

Abby looked round. "There's some thick ferns over there," she said. "Stay low and crawl," she added, moving from on top of Connor.

They could hear the death match going on behind them as they crawled towards the relative safety of the ferns. "At least we can hide in here," said Abby, once they'd reached the ferns. She noticed a broken branch lying close by. She quickly pulled it over them. "Not a great shelter," she sighed. "But it'll do for now." She turned and looked at Connor. "You look awful," she added.

"Thanks," Connor replied.

"No," Abby continued. "All the colour's drained from your face."

"I think my ankle's definitely broken now," said Connor. "That jump from the tree."

"Let's see," said Abby.

Before she had time to move, there was a loud roar and everything fell silent. Abby moved the ferns slightly and looked out. "The pterosaur's dead," she whispered.

"No match for an allosaurus," put in Connor.

"Oh no," sighed Abby. "That's all we need."

"What?" questioned Connor, moving carefully so he could see what was happening.

"Looks like the rest of the family have come for breakfast," said Abby, watching as a second large allosaurus appeared, followed by six infants.

"So they do look after their young," said Connor, watching as the male allosaurus moved slightly to allow the infants to get at the carcass of the pterosaur.

Abby tapped Connor on the shoulder. "Better move back," she whispered. "Less chance of being seen."

Connor nodded and moved back into the cover of the ferns.

Lester sighed as he put down the phone. "What a mess," he said, getting up and heading down into the main operations room. It seemed deserted without his team there. He looked over at the place where Cutter often stood. "You had to get yourself killed," sighed Lester. "Wouldn't a simple divorce have been better?"

"Ah, Sarah," said Lester, as Sarah and Becker entered the operations room. "I've arranged for the equipment to be shipped here."

"Great," smiled Sarah, heading for the anomaly detector.

"Err, Becker," added Lester. "A word."

Becker moved over to Lester. "Sir?" he questioned.

"If we do need to mount a rescue operation," whispered Lester. "We have very few experienced people."

Becker nodded.

"What about Sarah?" asked Lester.

"She'll be fine," replied Becker.

"All the same," added Lester. "I'd prefer to have someone else with experience."

Becker looked at Lester, already knowing who he was referring to. "But she was adamant about not coming back," he said.

"Sometimes we don't have a choice," Lester replied, setting off for his office. "I'll get her here even if I have to arrest her."

"What was that all about?" asked Sarah, as Becker rejoined her.

"He's getting Jenny back," replied Becker.

"But she said," started Sarah.

"National emergency," cut in Becker. "She can't say no."

Sarah glanced questioningly at Becker.

"Didn't you read the small print?" smiled Becker.

"James, it's five in the morning," said Jenny, still half asleep. "What on earth are you calling me for at such a ridiculous hour?"

"Call to arms I'm afraid," Lester replied.

"But I've left," sighed Jenny. "Can't Danny or Connor deal with it?"

"That's just it," said Lester. "They're." He hesitated for a moment. "Missing."

"Well find them," Jenny replied. "Track their mobiles or something. They're probably asleep in bed, just like I was until you woke me up."

"No Jenny," said Lester. "I mean they're lost."

The realisation of what Lester was saying suddenly hit Jenny. "You mean through an anomaly?" she asked quietly.

"They were following Helen Cutter," Lester explained. "They were supposed to be back." Lester checked his watch. "Well, let's just say, they're long overdue," he added.

"And what can I do?" asked Jenny. "Go and look for them and get lost too?"

"Look, Jenny," said Lester, putting on his best pleading voice. "We need your experience. Sarah and Becker, well." He hesitated again. "They're new, don't have as much experience."

"OK," sighed Jenny, interrupting Lester's pleadings. "But just this one time. Once they're back."

"Oh, no problem," cut in Lester. "As soon as they're back you can carry on with, well, what ever it is you're doing."

"Sleeping," replied Jenny. "Anyway, I'll be there in an hour or so."

Danny was wakened by yells and screams. He was on his feet, gun in hand in an instant. He peered into the darkness, looking for any type of movement that might indicate where the noise was coming from. Again he heard yells, this time accompanied by loud roaring, coming from behind him. He spun round, but saw nothing. Danny listened intently. "It's not too far away," he said to himself. He picked up a lighted stick from his camp fire and set off towards the sounds. "Must be a group of hominids," he said, as the shouting became louder. He stopped at a ridge in the ground and lay down, peering hard over the ridge. In the starlight, Danny could just make out what looked like some type of big cats attacking a group of hominids. "They don't stand a chance," sighed Danny, as he lay watching. He was just about to get up and help when a thought struck him. 'What if I cause the future to change?' he thought. 'By interfering I might end up doing what Helen was trying to do.'

Danny heard a scream that sounded like a youngster. "I can't just lie here and watch," he said, getting to his feet and setting off to help. He looked at the gun in his hand. 'Possibly not a good idea,' he thought, putting the gun in his belt. 'It's too dark to make out who's who.' He passed a clump of trees and found a sturdy branch. Once he was close enough, Danny started to run, shouting at the top of his voice, trying to scare off the cats. Some of the hominids started to run as they noticed Danny racing headlong towards them. "Don't be scared," Danny shouted. "I'm trying to help."

One of the cats turned and readied itself to pounce as Danny closed in. Danny was ready for the cat. He swung the branch with all his might, catching the cat on the side of its head. The cat screeched in agony and fell, stunned by Danny's blow.

"Got'cha," yelled Danny, as a second cat bounded towards him from the other side. This time Danny used the lighted stick as a lance, a shower of sparks exploding from the stick as he jabbed it into the cat's eyes. The cat screeched in pain as it writhed around in agony, unable to see.

"Two down," yelled Danny, coming to a halt in front of a group of female hominids who were trying to protect their children. "Hello girls," smiled Danny. "Need a hand?" he added, turning just in time to catch another cat on the head with his club.

Danny's actions seemed to give the hominids heart. They started to gather around him, picking up what ever they could find to throw at the cats.

"That's it," yelled Danny, noticing the cats starting to retreat. "We've got them on the run," he added, moving forward to scare the cats away. He didn't see the cat that had climbed a nearby tree until it was too late. It was on him in an instant, knocking both the lighted stick and his club from his hands. Danny felt the cat's sharp claws dig into the flesh on his arm. He cried out in pain, fighting back as best he could.

The hominids started to retreat, seeing their new found champion wrestling with the cat. The other cats turned and started to advance again. One of the male hominids cautiously picked up the lighted stick and started waving it at the advancing cats. The cats kept creeping forwards.

A loud bang split the silence. The cats turned and ran, while the hominids dropped to the ground in a state of panic.

Danny pushed the dead cat off him, giving it one last kick as he stood up. He turned slowly, gun ready, just in case any more cats were lurking nearby. He gave a sigh and put the gun back into his belt. He checked the wound on his arm. "Another scar," he muttered, putting his hand over the wound to stop the bleeding. "Good job my tetanus is up to date," he smiled.

Danny turned his attention to the hominids. They started to move a little closer to Danny, both curious and wary at the same time. Although he resembled them, he wasn't one of them. The male who had picked up the lighted stick moved a little closer, warily holding it out for Danny.

"Thanks," said Danny, taking the stick. "We made a god team," he added.

The hominid looked curiously at Danny.

"I know you can't understand me," said Danny. "But my name is Danny."

The hominids started to gather round Danny, cautiously touching him.

"Danny," said Danny, pointing to himself. "My name is Danny."

One of the female hominids moved a little closer and touched the wound on Danny's arm. Danny jumped with pain and the female quickly moved back.

"Sorry," Danny said quietly. "It hurts, that's all," he added, pointing to his arm. He looked down, feeling something tugging at his trousers. "Hello," he smiled, seeing a young hominid. He crouched down and took hold of the youngsters hand. "You're not scared of me, are you," said Danny.

The young hominid studied Danny's face, trying to emulate his smile. Danny started to laugh. "Oh well," he said. "It's a start." He picked up the child and stood up.

The hominids started to make strange noises and two of the males moved forward slightly, followed by a female.

Danny realised they thought he was going to hurt the youngster. "It's OK," he said quietly. "I'm not going to hurt her," he added, stepping towards the female. The youngster held out her arms and her mother took her from Danny. "See," said Danny. "No harm done."

The male, who was obviously the leader, made a sort of grunting noise and the hominids turned and vanished into the darkness.

Danny suddenly felt terribly alone.


	3. Chapter 3 Jenny returns

Chapter 3

"They've gone," said Abby, who had kept an eye on the family of allosaurus. "We can finally get going."

"Abby," said Connor. "I still need to go."

Abby sighed. "OK," she said. "You stay here and I'll have a look around, make sure the coast's clear."

Connor gave Abby a sheepish grin. "Sorry," he said. "But when nature calls. Hey," he added with a grin. "We could be Tarzan and Jane." Connor hit his chest. "Me Tarzan," he smiled.

"More like George of the jungle," sighed Abby. "Just hurry up, I'll be back in a few minutes."

Abby inspected what was left of the pterosaur. "Definite hollow bones," she said, poking at it with a stick. "That looks like some sort of air sack," she added, lifting it up with the stick. She stood up and quickly looked around. "If it's anything like other animal kills," she said to herself. "Then there's bound to be scavengers lurking around." She hurried back to their hide out. "Connor," she called quietly. "Come on, we need to go."

"OK," replied Connor, crawling from the ferns. "Could you help me up."

Abby helped Connor to stand. "How's the ankle?" she asked.

"Painful," said Connor, limping heavily on his injured ankle. "I hope we don't meet anything else," he added as they passed the remains of the pterosaur. "I doubt if I could run on it."

Abby noticed a sturdy stick. "Here," she said, picking it up and handing it to Connor. "Use this and lean on me."

"I hope you know which way we're going," said Connor, as they walked along, weaving between the trees.

"I hope you washed your hands," Abby replied, holding Connor's arm that he had around her shoulders.

"Jenny," said Sarah, seeing Jenny walking into her lab. "Glad you're back," she added. "We could do with some help."

"I'm not back," Jenny replied, holding her hands in front of her. "Just here to help out during the emergency."

"Jenny," said Becker, walking into Sarah's lab. "Glad."

"I'm not back," Jenny interrupted.

"Well, it's still good to see you," added Becker. "Have you seen Lester?"

"I was just going up to his office," replied Jenny. "Anything new happened?"

Becker shook his head. "Nothing. My men at the anomaly open it every half hour, but still nothing."

Jenny nodded. "Better see James I suppose," she said, heading off to his office.

"Becker," said Sarah. "I've just been looking through Helen's notebook again."

Becker moved over to Sarah's desk. "Found something?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," replied Sarah. "These references to 333."

"Half of the devil," smiled Becker.

"Sorry?" said Sarah.

"333," explained Becker. "Half of the devil's number. You know, 666."

Sarah sighed and shook her head.

"Best I can do after a sleepless night," shrugged Becker.

"I think it refers to site 333," said Sarah. "It's a spot in the rift valley in Africa where they discovered the remains of a number of hominids dating from about four million years ago."

Becker pulled up a chair and sat beside Sarah. "And these, err."

"Hominids," said Sarah.

Becker nodded. "Do you think Helen killed them?"

Sarah sat back in her chair and sighed. "I still can't get my head around it," she said. "The past is the past. It's been and gone, but I've been there and it's as real as us sitting here."

"Been there?" questioned Becker.

Sarah closed her eyes and sighed. "I knew I'd put my foot in it eventually," she said. "When the anomaly opened in the scrap yard and Sir William de Mornay came through. I went through to find out more about him."

Becker frowned. "So my men were in on it. They were told not to let anyone through."

"Look, don't blame them," said Sarah. "It was my decision, I told them I'd been given permission to go."

Becker nodded. "Lester was right," he smiled. "You lot aren't good at following orders."

"Anyway," said Sarah. "Site 333. Basically, if Helen did kill them, then it doesn't really matter."

Becker looked puzzled.

"The remains of these hominids have already been found," Sarah explained. "So they died at that time and place."

Becker nodded. "So that wouldn't have changed history as we know it," he added.

"Exactly," Sarah replied. "But if she is the one who caused their deaths and Danny and the others stop her, then it would change history."

"Well, as far as we know, nothing seems to have changed as yet," said Becker.

"The sooner we can try and reach them the better," sighed Sarah, returning to Connor's notes.

"I'm not back," sighed Jenny, sitting down in a chair in Lester's office. "Once Danny, Connor and Abby are back, that's it, I'm out of here and getting on with my life."

"Isn't it a bit boring?" asked Lester, wrinkling his nose.

"Sorry?" Jenny replied indignantly. "My life is never boring."

Lester nodded. "It's just, well, after what you've seen and experienced."

"You mean finding out that I was Claudia Brown in another life and having the man I." Jenny went quiet.

"Cutter was a good man," said Lester. "Didn't fancy him myself, but."

"So," said Jenny, changing the subject. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Keep an eye on things, keep everyone focused," Lester explained. "Keep me up to speed on any developments."

"And if we detect any anomalies?" asked Jenny.

Lester shrugged. "You've handled them in the past."

"Oh, great," sighed Jenny. "I'm never going to be free of this place am I."

"Just think of it as job security," said Lester. "Now, if you'll excuse me," he added. "I've been here all night and need to freshen up."

Jenny knew it was pointless arguing with James. She knew he wouldn't take no for an answer, however she was just as stubborn. "The moment the others are back," she said to herself, as she walked back to Sarah's lab. "I'm going, no matter what James Lester says."

"So you think it's that easy?" said Becker, as Jenny arrived back at Sarah's lab.

"Why not," shrugged Sarah. "You use the same key to lock and unlock a door."

"Progress?" asked Jenny.

"We think so," said Becker, standing up, offering Jenny his chair.

Jenny sat next to Sarah. "So what do we do next?"

"Well," started Sarah. "For what ever reason, we know that the others aren't, or can't, use the anomaly at the race track."

"Probably the predators," nodded Jenny.

"And those horrible insects," added Sarah, shuddering at the thought of almost being caught by them.

"Sarah also thinks it might be quite easy to open an anomaly," added Becker.

"Oh?" questioned Jenny.

"Well, it's more what I read from the notes Connor kept," explained Sarah.

Jenny smiled. "He doesn't seem the type to keep notes."

Sarah picked up the sheets of paper. "I used the term loosely," she sighed, showing Jenny the papers.

"And you've been able to decipher these," laughed Jenny.

"Believe me, it was harder than translating ancient Egyptian," sighed Sarah. "But, from what I can make out, all we have to do is alter the polarity of the anomaly locking device and boost the power."

"Sounds easy enough," said Jenny.

"The hard part is finding an anomaly," put in Becker.

"What about the one at the race track?" asked Jenny. "Won't that do?"

"That leads to the future," said Sarah. "And the predators. No," she went on. "We need to find an anomaly that leads to the rift valley, four million years ago."

Jenny nodded sadly, knowing how difficult that would be. "Any thoughts?" she asked.

"I found a list of numbers in Helen's notebook," said Sarah. "Coordinates to particular anomalies."

"That sounds promising," replied Jenny.

"From what I can gather," Sarah continued. "The anomalies are always there, but we can't see them until they open."

"Any way of detecting them?" asked Jenny.

"There must be," Sarah replied. "Helen had some sort of device she could use to open the anomalies. I assume it could also detect where they were."

"You mean like Nick's model?" asked Jenny. "It showed where anomalies would open."

"Oh Sarah, you're an idiot," sighed Sarah, putting her hand on her head. "That's what the artefact is. For a brief second we managed to unlock the artefact. It looked exactly the same as Cutter's model."

"You mean it contains the map of every anomaly?" asked Becker.

"Yes," Sarah replied. "It's no wonder everyone wanted to get hold of it, especially Helen."

"But she has that other device, doesn't she?" asked Jenny.

"Perhaps it doesn't hold all of the information," put in Becker. "You know, a bit like only having one page out of a book of maps."

"Sat nav," nodded Jenny. "Download what you need for a particular journey."

"Satellites," said Sarah. "Jenny, you're a genius," she added, almost knocking Becker over in her rush to get to the operations room.

"What did I say?" Jenny asked Becker.

Becker shrugged. "Shall we," he said, following Sarah down the corridor.

Danny awoke with a jump. He was sure he'd heard something as he'd drifted back from dreams of home. He looked around and sighed. "Hi guys," he smiled, seeing a small group of hominids sitting watching him. "Been here long?" he went on, sitting up. He winced as the pain from the wound on his arm shot through him.

The lead male made a few guttural sounds and one of the females moved forward and put her finger on Danny's arm.

Danny noticed she was carrying some leaves and berries. "Breakfast?" he asked, gesturing to the leaves and berries she put on the ground next to her.

The female scraped at the scratches, removing the dirt and dried blood, cleaning her fingers in her mouth. Danny gritted his teeth, trying his best not to yell in pain. "I don't think they'd approve of that at A and E," he said, watching as the female licked the blood from her fingers. "I suppose a shot for the pain's out of the question?" he added, as the female continued to clean the wound. Danny sighed with relief once she had finished. "Feels better already," he smiled. "Oh," he added, seeing the female pick up the leaves and berries. "I could just do with some breakfast. Well, maybe not," he sighed, as the female pushed the leaves and berries into her mouth. "You could have left me one berry," he said, watching as the female chewed. After a few moments, the female took the chewed up mush from her mouth and showed it to Danny. "Thanks," he smiled. "But I think I'll pass on breakfast."

The female took hold of Danny's arm and smeared the berry and leaf poultice over the cleaned wounds on his arm. Danny watched fascinated. "Who'd have thought," he said in disbelief. "I bet Sarah would be fascinated by all of this."

Once the female had finished she sat for a moment. Danny looked at her, then at the others. "Now what?" he said. "I hope you don't want to be paid. I didn't bring my wallet and besides, I doubt if you'd accept a credit card."

The female moved, revealing a wet patch on the ground where she'd been sitting.

Danny nodded. "Very nice," he sighed.

The female scooped up the wet earth and moulded it into a ball, then flattened it between her hands.

"Very nice," smiled Danny. "I know you're primitive, but."

Danny hadn't finished his sentence before the female slapped the muddy pancake onto Danny's arm. "Well, so much for hygiene," he sighed, giving the female a disgusted smile. "They say it's good for jellyfish stings," he said to her. "Not that there'll be many jellyfish around here," he added, as the female rejoined the others. The male made a few more noises and led the small band off, back to the others.

Danny watched them leave, then looked at his arm. "Feels OK," he said. "At least the pain's stopped." He also noticed that where the mud had started to dry, it was sticking to his skin. "Primitive bandage," he commented, trying to forget what it was made from. He opened his backpack and had a drink and a couple of squares of a chocolate bar he'd taken from Helen's bag. "So," he sighed. "Now what?"

After a few minutes, Danny decided his best course of action was definitely to return to the anomaly site. He realised that Helen must have dropped the anomaly device before she went through the anomaly, or she would have closed it behind her. As he walked back to the site, Danny hoped that Connor and Abby would find the device and rescue him. Danny smiled to himself. "At least I'd be in the record books," he laughed. "The first man to die millions of years before he was born."

"How do we know which way they went?" Connor asked, as they continued to walk slowly through the forest.

"There's still some tracks," Abby replied, pointing to definite boot prints in the soft ground. "We just need to follow them."

"Can we stop for a moment?" asked Connor. "My ankle's killing me."

Abby nodded. "Five minutes," she said, helping Connor to sit down. Although she didn't want to admit it to Connor, Abby needed the loo. "I'll just have a look around," she said. "Make sure nothing's following us."

"OK," sighed Connor, leaning back against a tree. "Don't wander too far."

"No," Abby replied. "I'll just follow the tracks a little way," she added, heading off towards an area of ferns she'd noticed.

"Abby," called Connor.

"What?" snapped Abby, turning back to Connor.

"The tracks go that way," said Connor, pointing to the line of boot prints.

"Ah, yes," stammered Abby. "That way, yes," she continued, glancing back at the beckoning ferns.

Connor followed Abby's gaze and realized where she had been going. "I might just close my eyes for a few minutes," he said, trying hard not to smile. "It looks safe enough here."

"Yes," agreed Abby. "Good idea, try and rest as much as you can," she added, making sure Connor wasn't looking. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

"OK," said Connor, pretending to yawn. "I'll keep my eyes closed until you get back," he added.

Abby gave Connor a puzzled look and shrugged. "OK," she whispered, tiptoeing towards the clump of ferns.

Connor peeked out of one eye and saw Abby heading for the ferns. He smiled, closed his eyes and rested his head against the tree trunk.

Connor woke up. He could hear Abby calling his name. He looked around and saw her running towards him.

"Connor," she panted. "Something's coming."

"What?" asked Connor, trying to get to his feet.

"I'm not sure," Abby replied. "But it sounds big. I could hear it crashing through the trees."

Connor looked around for somewhere to hide. "Here," he said, hiding behind the large trunk of a tree. "I think we'll be safe here."

"What, behind a tree," replied Abby.

"I can't run on this," said Connor, pointing to his injured ankle. "And there's nothing to get hold of on this tree to help us climb."

"Too late," whispered Abby, pressing her back against the tree as a weird looking dinosaur burst through the ferns where Abby had just run from.

Connor glanced round the tree and sighed as a second dinosaur appeared. "It's OK," he said, taking hold of Abby's hand. "They're Hylaeosaurus, plant eaters."

Abby moved and stood next to Connor. "They still look dangerous," she said, eyeing the heavy horns along the Hylaeosaurus' shoulders and sides.

"They're just for protection," Connor said quietly, as more of the creatures appeared in the clearing.

"Well, I still wouldn't like to get too close," said Abby, watching the creatures grazing on the short ferns that grew in the clearing. "And the smell," she added, pulling a face. "It's making my eyes water."

"Well, if your diet was leaves and ferns," shrugged Connor. "But still," he added, wiping his eyes. "It might be an idea to get going."

They both turned and stood frozen to the spot. There, directly in front of them was a group of raptors.

"What do we do?" whispered Abby, hardly daring to move her mouth.

"Just stand still," whispered Connor. "It looks like they're more interested in the Hylaeosaurus."

The raptors edged forward, almost brushing against Abby and Connor, their eyes firmly fixed on their prey. The leader of the pack let out a loud cry and the raptors pounced on the closest Hylaeosaurus. This panicked the others in the herd and they started to run wildly in circles around the clearing. The Hylaeosaurus stood and shook off the raptors, turning and lashing at them with its horny tail. The raptors jumped nimbly out of the way, snapping at the Hylaeosaurus. One of the raptors moved too close and was caught by the horns on the side of the Hylaeosaurus. It fell over, kicking out wildly, trying to regain its footing. The Hylaeosaurus turned and lashed at it with its tail, piercing the raptor's eye with one of the horny spikes. The raptor let out an unearthly squeal as the spike sank deeper into its head. Rather than a victory, the dead raptor encumbered the Hylaeosaurus. The Hylaeosaurus struggled to free its tail from the dead raptor. Not being able to move freely, the Hylaeosaurus couldn't protect itself and the other raptors were on it in a moment.

"Come on," whispered Connor. "Let's go while we can."

Abby and Connor hurried as best they could, occasionally checking to make sure they weren't being followed.

"So why didn't the raptors attack us?" asked Abby, once they were away from the clearing. "They were right in front of us."

Connor shook his head. "I'm not sure," he replied. "Well," he added with a grin. "Apart from the fact that the Hylaeosaurus were a bit whiffy."

"Tell me about it," smiled Abby. "They must have overpowered our scent."

Connor quickly smelled his arm, then smelled Abby.

"What?" questioned Abby. "The last thing we should be worrying about is personal hygiene."

Connor lifted his arm. "Smell," he said.

Abby reluctantly smelled Connor's arm. "Pine," she said, a little bemused. "And fern," she added, taking another sniff. She sniffed her own arm. "We must have picked up the smell when we were sleeping in that tree," she said.

"And hiding in the ferns," added Connor. "A natural deodorant," he smiled.

Abby looked at the ground and sighed. "The trail's gone," she said.

Connor stopped and looked around. "Sure?" he asked.

Abby nodded. "It's been really clear up 'till now," she replied.

"Can't we just keep going?" asked Connor. "The trail's been pretty straight up to here."

Abby shook her head. "We could walk for miles and never pick it up again."

A sudden thought struck Connor. "Of course," he added. "This could be where the anomaly is."

"I suppose," agreed Abby. "That would explain the tracks ending here. Look," she added. "You sit down and rest your ankle, I'll have a quick check around, see if there are any more tracks."

Connor nodded and sat down, letting out a long sigh. "When we get home," he said. "You know the first thing I'm going to do?"

Abby shook her head. "Have a bath?" she guessed. "Get your ankle seen to?"

Connor shook his head. "I'm going to get a green slushy," he sighed.

"So something that will change the course of history then," smiled Abby.

Connor rummaged in his backpack.

"Don't tell me you've got one in there?" asked Abby, looking in Connor's backpack.

"No," Connor replied indignantly. He pulled out the dead anomaly device. "Tell you what," he continued. "You get me a slushy and I'll try to work out how this works."

"Deal," smiled Abby, giving Connor a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll have a look around."

"Be careful," called Connor, watching Abby as she moved away.

"All we've done up until now," said Sarah, looking at the anomaly detector in the operations room. "Is detect anomalies once they're open. Connor somehow linked this to a feed from satellites."

"Well, yes," Jenny agreed. "That's all we needed to do."

"The one thing we all overlooked was the fact that the anomalies reopened in the same place," Sarah continued, pressing various keys on the control panel of the detector.

"You'll have to pay for that if you break it," said Lester, as he walked down the ramp from his office. He looked at Jenny. "Well?" he asked.

"Sarah has an idea," Jenny replied.

"Oh good," said Lester, dryly. "Millions of pounds of equipment at our fingertips and Sarah has an idea."

"There," said Sarah, pointing to the main screen of the detector.

They all looked at the screen.

"And that is?" asked Lester.

Sarah sighed. "All of the anomalies we've detected," she replied.

"And this is your idea?" added Lester.

"Can't you see?" asked Sarah, moving closer to the screen. "Different colours for the different time periods. The numbers represent how many times the anomalies have opened and their duration."

"There's a pattern," said Becker.

Sarah looked around. "I assume this room is monitored with cameras?" she asked.

Becker nodded.

"Then we do have a copy of the entire map," smiled Sarah.

"Do we?" asked Jenny.

"For a brief moment Connor managed to unlock the artefact," Sarah explained. "The whole map was up there," she added, pointing upwards. "Drawn above our heads."

"So it should be on the camera footage," said Becker.

"Well, don't just stand there," added Lester. "Bring it up on the screen."

Becker moved to the console and found the relevant recording.

"That's it," shouted Sarah. "Now, if we can superimpose the two images," she added, moving next to Becker.

"Not easy," sighed Becker. "We don't know the relative sizes or orientation."

"All I can do is get the computer to run through it until it finds a match," said Sarah, setting the computer away on its long search.

"So, what now?" asked Lester.

"Boost the power to the hand held detectors somehow," Sarah replied. "So they can detect the closed anomalies." She sighed. "If only Connor was here."

Lester nodded. "Carry on," he said, heading for his office, happy in the knowledge that some progress was finally being made.

Danny stopped for a moment and sat in the shade while he had a drink. He checked his arm. "Feels OK," he said, moving it around. "What ever that mush is, it's certainly helping." He heard some rocks falling from the cliff that rose to one side of where he was sitting. Danny's hand went straight for the gun. He stopped as he saw the group of hominids standing on a ledge about ten metres above him. "Can't keep away, eh," he smiled, waving up at the hominids. "Glad of the company," he added, as he got up and carried on walking.

Danny rounded a bend in the dry river bed he was following. There, in front of him, stood the group of hominids. "Hi guys," smiled Danny. "Nothing better to do than follow me?" he asked. "Well, you can come along if you want," he added, as he continued along the river bed.

The hominids started to make nervous guttural noises as they gestured into the sky. Danny shrugged and tried to continue. The hominids became even more agitated, grabbing him and pushing him away from the river bed.

"OK," said Danny, holding up his hands. "No need to shove. It's worse than a Chelsea match on a Saturday."

Danny felt a spot of rain on his face and looked up. "Looks like we're in for a storm," he said, seeing the dark clouds gathering. There was a bright flash of lightning, followed quickly by the rumble of the thunder. The hominids dropped to the ground, pulling Danny along with them.

"Its only thunder and lightning," said Danny, looking up at the sky. "Surely you're not scared."

Another flash of lightning lit the darkening sky. This time the lightning hit the ground with a loud crack not ten metres from where Danny and the hominids lay.

"Jeez," shouted Danny. "That was a bit close," he added, lying flat on the ground. "Now I see why you're all lying down."

The rain started to pelt down, drumming on Danny's head. Within seconds he was soaked through. "Just like summer back home," he called to one of the hominids that was lying close to him. "Should have brought a brolly."

Another bolt of lightning hit the ground close to where Danny lay. "This is getting too close," said Danny, smelling the ozone from the strike. He lifted his head and looked around. He noticed a cave not too far away. "We should be safer in there," he said, crawling over to the hominid leader. He tapped the hominid and pointed to the cave. "We should make for that," he shouted.

The hominid looked over to the cave, gave a grunt and lay back down.

"What?" shouted Danny. "Anything's better than." He ducked as another bolt of lightning hit the ground. Danny got up and ran as fast as he could. "Come on," he shouted, as he ducked into the cave. The hominids stayed where they were. "What's wrong with you lot?" shouted Danny, as another bolt of lightning struck the ground. He didn't see the nest of snakes, illuminated by the flash of lightning, that writhed behind him. Danny crouched down and peered through the heavy rain at the hominids, still lying in the mud. "Must be stupid," he sighed, wiping the rainwater from his eyes. He noticed one of the hominids started to move towards him. "At least someone's got sense," he smiled. As it came closer, Danny recognised the hominid as the female who had treated his wound. "Must fancy me," he laughed. "Or just wants to get out of the storm." He flinched as another bolt of lightning struck the ground. The female lay flat for a moment, then got up and ran towards Danny. Rather than hurry inside, the female stopped just outside and started to make screeching noises as she gestured into the cave.

Danny looked at her and shrugged. The female took a step forward, grabbed Danny's good arm and pulled. Danny was surprised at the female's strength, he overbalanced and fell forwards out of the cave. "Nice," he sighed, picking himself up out of the mud. He made to go back inside, but the female pulled him again. "Now look," said Danny, trying to extricate his arm from the female's grasp. "There's being keen and throwing yourself at someone," he added, turning to go back into the cave. The female squealed again just as another bolt of lightning hit. Danny jumped back, finally noticing the writhing snakes close to where he'd been crouching in the cave. Danny turned and hurried away from the cave, followed closely by the female. They both dived for cover as another bolt of lightning hit.

Danny turned to the female. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't realise. You must think I'm the stupid one now."

"This is Connor's prototype locking mechanism, isn't it?" said Jenny, as she followed Sarah into another room.

"Yes," replied Sarah. "I'm going to see if I can get it to open the anomalies," she continued, looking apprehensively at the machine. "Or that's the plan," she sighed, pushing her dark hair off her face.

"I wouldn't know where to start," sighed Jenny, sitting watching Sarah work. "I can change a plug, but that's about it."

"I've watched Connor a few times," said Sarah, unscrewing a panel cover. "And the wiring in some of the places I've stayed over the years has been, well, a bit primitive."

"If you can get it to open an anomaly," said Jenny, resting her chin on her hands. "How do we know which will lead back to the others?"

Sarah stopped and looked at Jenny. "We guess," she shrugged. "All we know is that they went through the one that led to the future. After that."

"I hope we guess correctly," sighed Jenny.

"Sarah," said Becker, standing at the doorway to the room. "I think we may have something."

Sarah turned. "OK," she said, wearily standing up. "I'll come down now."

"You should take a rest," said Becker, as he walked down the corridor with Sarah. "You've been at this all night."

Sarah shook her head. "The sooner we sort this out the better," she replied. "We need to get them back."

Becker nodded. "I can arrange a meal for you," he added.

"Thanks," smiled Sarah. "I am a bit hungry."

"He never did that for me," said Jenny, watching Becker head off up the corridor.

"What's Becker's first name?" asked Sarah.

Jenny smiled. "Interested?" she asked.

"He's OK," shrugged Sarah. "But office romances."

"You mean like Connor and Abby," laughed Jenny.

"Is it just them who can't see it?" smiled Sarah. "Ah," she added, looking at the detector screen. "This looks promising."

Jenny moved a little closer. "Pity we didn't have a few more coordinates," she sighed. "Just to make sure."

"How could Cutter see all of this in his head?" wondered Sarah, as she traced the anomaly pattern on the screen with her finger.

"He was a clever man," said Jenny.

"You miss him, don't you?" asked Sarah.

Jenny shrugged. "Another office romance," she sighed. "That's all."

"How are we doing?" asked Lester, walking up behind Sarah and Jenny.

Sarah turned. "At least we've got a map of the anomalies," she said.

"Finally," sighed Lester. "Something tangible to work from." He looked at Sarah, then at Jenny. "Fine," he added. "Now give me the bad news."

"It may not be that accurate," said Jenny. "The computer had to extrapolate its findings from what we know and a picture taken from the CCTV."

"Hang on," said Sarah, looking at the map. "According to this, there should be an anomaly on the roof of this building."

"That's all we need," sighed Lester, looking up. "I don't think the minister would be too pleased if an eighty ton dinosaur dropped in."

"Don't you see," said Sarah. "We can use the anomaly to experiment on. See if we can open it."

Connor sat looking at the dead device. "Pity it died when it did," he said, turning it over and over, making sure he hadn't missed anything. "That would just be my luck," he sighed. "If I'd somehow turned it off by mistake."

He shook his head. "No, it's dead alright," he went on. He looked around to see if Abby was on her way back. "She might have found a supermarket," he smiled. "Got me that slushy, and some batteries for this thing." He put the device into his backpack. "Well, well," he added, pulling out three more stun grenades. "These might come in useful."

Abby came running back. "Connor," she said. "I've found more boot prints. They lead off that way."

"Come on then," sighed Connor, using his stick to help him get up.

"They lead to the edge of the forest," said Abby, as they followed the tracks. "I didn't go any further as there were more of those pterosaurs flying around."

"I've checked that device," said Connor. "Dead as a dodo," he added. He thought of the time when some dodos had come through an anomaly. "Poor Tom," he said absently.

Abby looked at Connor. "Yeh, we've lost some good friends," she said, taking hold of Connor's hand.

After a short walk, they reached the edge of the forest. A flat plain stretched out before them, covered in ferns and moss. A few rocky outcrops dotted the plain and here and there pterosaurs perched on the higher rocks.

"No flowers," sighed Abby.

"Not yet," put in Connor. "It's a while before flowers appear on the scene."

Loud screeching made them look up just as something fell out of the sky. It landed close to where Connor and Abby stood. The sudden surprise made them step back into the relative safety of the trees.

"They must be fighting over that," said Connor, gesturing to the small dead dinosaur that had fallen to the ground.

Again there was loud screeching, followed by the whoosh of wings as one of the pterosaurs swooped down to pick up the dead creature.

"Hide," said Abby, pushing Connor behind one of the trees. "We don't want to be chased by another one of those."

The pterosaur landed, looked around, then picked up its prey in its long pointed beak. It was just about to take off again when a second pterosaur swooped down and, with a deft flick of its beak, knocked the first one over.

The first pterosaur lay on the ground, stunned by the blow it had received. The second pterosaur landed close to the first and moved in for the kill.

Connor glanced round from behind the tree, curious to see what was going on. "So that's how they move on the ground," he whispered.

Abby pulled Connor back into cover. "Don't let it see you," she scolded.

"Sorry," replied Connor. "I was curious, that's all."

Another screech resounded through the forest as the second pterosaur pounced on the first. Both Connor and Abby heard a loud crack, then a flapping sound.

This time Abby glanced around the tree. "It's gone," she whispered. "Looks like the other one's dead."

Connor moved round the tree to have a closer look. "Looks like it's neck's broken," he said, seeing the strange angle at which the pterosaur's head lay. "That must have been the crack we heard."

Abby moved to the edge of the trees and looked up. "Can't see anything," she said, moving out to inspect the dead pterosaur.

Connor slowly limped out and joined Abby.

"Definitely a broken neck," said Abby, moving the pterosaur's head with her foot.

Connor looked up, checking to make sure there were no more pterosaurs circling the area. "Abby," he said. "Can you hear something?"

Danny stood up and looked up at the sky. "Glad that's over," he sighed, watching as the dark storm clouds moved away. He looked down at himself and shook his head. "What a mess," he sighed, looking at his mud coated clothes. He noticed the head male hominid looking at him. Even though the hominid couldn't speak, Danny could tell what he was thinking. "Yeh, I know," said Danny, quietly. "This is your patch, I should take more notice next time."

The male hominid made a slight nodding gesture as if he could sense Danny's embarrassment. The male turned and led the others back to the trail. Danny followed, hoping they would be going in the same direction. As they neared the riverbed, Danny could hear rushing water. "Great," he sighed, seeing the riverbed was now a torrent of water. "Now I'll have to find a different way back."

The hominids walked along the edge of the river as if looking for something. As they were going in the right general direction, Danny tagged along, curious to know what they were searching for.

They came to a spot where the river had spilled over its banks creating a calm pool of clear, inviting water. The male hominid carefully tested the depth. He turned and gestured to the others. They followed him into the water and started to wash the mud from their hairy bodies.

"All the comforts of home," said Danny, putting down his backpack and wading into the water. The cool water took his breath away for a moment. "Where's the hot tap?" he said to one of the hominids. "And the soap," he added with a grin as he ducked under the water to wash his face. He stood up and wiped the water from his eyes then noticed the hominids rushing towards the river, jabbering frantically. Danny waded after them just in time to see one of the youngsters being carried away by the force of the river. Without hesitation, Danny dived into the rushing water and swam after the youth. The hominids looked on in total surprise at the way Danny swam after the youth.

'Come on,' thought Danny, as he closed in on the youngster. 'No more accidents, no more deaths.' He finally caught up to the young hominid and grabbed its arm. It felt limp and lifeless. Danny's police training kicked in and he held the chin of what he now knew to be a young male hominid. Danny kept the young male's face out of the water as he swam back to the river bank.

The other hominids had followed along the bank. As Danny got to the edge, two of the males grabbed the youngster and dragged the lifeless body onto the bank. Danny crawled out after them. He quickly moved to where the young male lay, putting his fingers on the youngster's neck trying to feel a pulse.

A female hominid came and knelt beside the youngster's body and started to prod him gently. Danny was sure he could see tears in the female's eyes. "Your boy?" he asked, looking at the female. Danny pointed at the boy, then at the female. "Your boy," he repeated.

The female just looked at Danny totally oblivious of what he was saying.

"No," said Danny, looking down at the boy. "You're not going to die," he added, as he started CPR.

The female watched in total confusion as Danny pressed repeatedly on her offspring's body then blew into his mouth. The others gathered round, also curious as to the antics of this strange creature.

As Danny continued he remembered what Lester had told him when he had started. "Don't interfere," Lester had said. "If what Cutter said was true, then altering the past could have devastating results on the present."

Danny pushed it from his mind. 'Besides,' he thought. 'Had I not been here, they probably wouldn't have followed me and this wouldn't have happened.'

There was a sudden movement from the boy and he started to cough, bringing up the water from his lungs.

"That's more like it," smiled Danny, turning the boy onto his side until all of the water was gone from his lungs.

The female looked at Danny, totally bemused at what had just happened. Danny helped the boy up and passed him to the female. She hugged the boy, but continued to stare at Danny.

The other hominids took a step back, unsure of how the strange creature had brought the dead boy back to life.

Danny lay back, propping himself up on his hands. He noticed the wary looks he was being given by the hominids. "I suppose a ruthless person could take advantage of this," he said, thinking of Helen. "Make them believe I'm some sort of god." He had a sudden idea. He sat up and pointed to his injured arm, which was now uncovered after his swim in the river. "You healed me," Danny said slowly, trying his best to make them understand. "I healed the boy," he added, pointing to the young hominid. Danny shook his head. "Pity you can't understand," he sighed.

The head male moved forward and put his hand on Danny's shoulder. He pointed to Danny's arm, then to the boy.

Danny smiled. "Perhaps you do understand after all," he said.


	4. Chapter 4 Sarah opens the anomaly

Chapter 4

"Everything's on the roof," said Becker, walking into Sarah's lab.

Sarah was asleep in her chair.

Becker smiled and shook his head. He moved over to Sarah and tapped her shoulder.

Sarah jumped. "Oh, Becker," she said, pushing her hair from her face. "I must have dozed off."

"Everything's on the roof," Becker repeated.

"Oh, right," said Sarah, trying to clear her mind of the fuzziness of sleep. "Has the generator arrived?" she asked.

"It's in the car park," Becker replied. "We've run cables up to the roof."

Sarah nodded as she stood up. "Right," she said. "Let's see if this works. Oh, Becker," she added, as they walked towards the lift. "Thanks for the meal."

"No problem," smiled Becker.

"Look," said Sarah, as they went up in the lift. "Don't you have a first name?" she asked. "I can't keep calling you Becker."

Becker looked at Sarah and raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to know," he said.

"I do," replied Sarah.

Becker shook his head. "I'm used to Becker," he said. "Ever since I joined the army I've been called Becker."

"But," started Sarah.

The lift doors opened and they walked out into the corridor on the top floor.

Becker stopped and looked at Sarah. "OK," he sighed. "But no one else finds out."

Sarah shrugged. "What ever," she said, curious as to the secrecy.

Becker leaned forward and whispered in Sarah's ear.

Sarah bit her lip, trying hard not to laugh. "Oh, right," she said, managing to keep a straight face.

Becker shrugged. "Parents," he sighed. "Never think of the poor kids."

"OK," nodded Sarah. "So it's just Becker then."

"Yes," said Becker.

"Finally," sighed Lester, seeing Sarah and Becker. "Glad I'm not a brass monkey," he added, fastening his overcoat.

"It is a bit cool up here," added Jenny, putting on a black military jacket.

Sarah moved over to where the equipment was set up. "Right," she said, picking up the hand held detector. "Let's see if this works." She switched on the detector and slowly turned, sweeping the roof with the detector. "Nothing," she sighed, checking the screen.

Lester tutted and shook his head.

"Can you give it more power?" asked Jenny.

Sarah shook her head. "Not really," she sighed. "It would just burn the circuits."

"Can you narrow the detection beam?" asked Becker. "That might give it a little more power."

Sarah nodded and fiddled with the controls. "I still wish Connor was here," she sighed. "He'd know what he was doing."

"More guesswork," muttered Lester.

Sarah started another sweep of the roof. "Still nothing," she sighed. "Hang on," she added, noticing a faint blip on the screen. She started to walk slowly, watching the screen as she moved. "There's something here," she called, watching the blip getting brighter.

"Sarah," called Jenny and Becker together.

Sarah looked up. "What?" she asked, realising she was staring into space.

Becker was over in an instant. He grabbed Sarah and pulled her back from the edge of the roof. "That was rather silly," he said.

Sarah's heart raced as she realised how close she'd been to falling from the roof. "Thanks," she said shakily. "I was too busy watching the detector."

"So it works," said Lester, as Sarah rejoined the others.

"Yes," smiled Sarah. "The anomaly's over there," she added, pointing towards a point not far from the edge of the roof.

"So can you open it?" asked Lester.

Sarah shrugged. "According to Connor's notes, it should work."

"Well let's get on with it," said Lester, looking at the sky. "It looks like it might rain."

Abby listened and shook her head. "Can't hear anything," she said.

"I was sure I could hear a beeping sound," said Connor, listening intently.

"Perhaps someone is trying to get you on your mobile," laughed Abby. "Hello," she went on, mimicking the tele-sales people. "This is Dino Mobile, have you thought about changing your phone. We have a package that will fit your lifestyle."

"Shh," said Connor, raising his hand. "There, can't you hear that?"

Abby listened once again. She looked at Connor. "You're right," she said, turning her head trying to distinguish where the sound was coming from. "Over there," she finally said, pointing to where the dead pterosaur lay.

Connor moved towards the pterosaur. "It's getting louder," he said to Abby, who was checking the skies once again. "Can't see anything," he sighed, poking at the ferns with his stick.

Abby knelt down and started rummaging with her hands. She stopped and put her ear against the dead pterosaur. She looked up at Connor. "What ever it is, I think this thing's eaten it."

Connor carefully knelt down beside Abby. "What, like in Jurassic Park you mean?" he asked, putting his ear to the dead pterosaur. "When that guy with the phone was eaten by the Spinosaurus."

"Of course," said Abby, hauling on the pterosaur. "It might just be lying on it," she added, managing to move the dead animal.

"Abby," shouted Connor. "Look."

There, lying on the ground, beeping as it flashed, was the anomaly device.

"Helen must have dropped it," said Connor, excitedly cleaning the dirt from the device.

Abby knelt beside Connor. "Which means the anomaly they went through must be quite close," she added, looking around.

"That's right," agreed Connor. He looked at Abby, his expression changing from euphoria from finding the device to one of horror. "Which means," he started.

"Danny's trapped somewhere in time," said Abby, finishing Connor's sentence. "With Helen," she added.

"If there is an anomaly round here," said Connor, fiddling with the device. "I should be able to detect it with this."

Abby glimpsed movement out the corner of her eye. She turned and sighed. "This can't be happening," she said quietly, tugging on Connor's shirt sleeve. "Connor," she whispered. "We've got company."

Connor looked round. "Compsognathus," he whispered, seeing the small bird like dinosaurs edging towards them. "Scavengers."

"They must have smelled that," said Abby, nodding towards the dead pterosaur.

The scavengers clicked and yapped at one another, keeping in constant contact as they moved closer.

"I don't like the look of them," said Abby, watching the advancing scavengers.

"They're just after that," assured Connor, gesturing to the pterosaur carcass.

"But we're in the way," put in Abby, keeping an eye on the Compsognathus. "Even scavengers will attack to get to food. Besides, what if something bigger comes along."

"Almost got it," said Connor, checking the screen. "Looks like Helen is going for site 333."

Abby noticed the scavengers becoming agitated. Their clicks and yaps changed to short barks as they darted around in a state of panic. "Connor, this doesn't look good," she said, as the flock of Compsognathus scattered in all directions.

"Well, this is definitely the right place," sighed Danny, seeing the small pile of stones he'd put there before going back to find Helen's body. "Still no sign of the anomaly," he added, slumping down frustratedly.

The hominids looked at Danny, wondering why he'd stopped. The head male stood beside Danny and looked at him.

Danny looked up and shook his head. "This is as far as I go," he said. "There's an anomaly around here somewhere and I'm going to wait for it to open."

The hominid touched Danny's shoulder and gave a short grunt.

"Yeh, I know," sighed Danny. "Time you moved on." He looked at the hominid and shook his head. "I'm staying here," he said, pointing to the ground.

The hominid gestured, as if beckoning Danny to go with them.

"Sorry mate," sighed Danny, absently drawing the anomaly in the dirt. "I'm waiting for this."

The hominid looked at what Danny had drawn and stepped back. He turned to the others and made more guttural noises.

Danny looked at the male, then at the others. "You've seen this, haven't you?" he said, pointing to the drawing.

The hominid looked at Danny, then at the drawing.

"You've seen this, here," said Danny, pointing at the ground.

The hominid turned and pointed off into the distance.

"Yes, I know you want to go," said Danny. "But this." Once again he pointed to the ground.

Again the hominid pointed into the distance.

Danny shook his head. "No, I have to wait here."

The hominid studied Danny for a moment. He pointed to the drawing, looked at Danny, shook his head and again pointed into the distance.

Danny suddenly realised what the hominid was trying to say. "There's another one of these?" he asked, pointing at the drawing. "Over there," he added, pointing in the direction the hominid had pointed.

Danny noticed the look on the hominid's face. "Yes, I know I'm thick," he sighed. "A bit slow on the uptake. What?" he added, noticing the hominid staring beyond him, his face showing a look of fear.

The hominid suddenly turned, made some strange noises and the entire group fled.

Danny turned slowly, his hand reaching for his gun. He let out a sigh of relief as he saw the anomaly floating just in front of him, sparkling brightly. He turned. "It's OK," he shouted. "It's just my friends. They've come to look for me." Not needing his gun after all, Danny didn't notice it was no longer tucked in his belt.

On hearing Danny's voice, the hominids stopped and turned.

"It's just my friends," Danny called again. "No need to panic."

The hominids started to move towards Danny, then stopped. Danny saw the same look of horror on their faces. "This doesn't look good," said Danny, as the hominids fled once again.

"This doesn't look good," sighed Jenny, looking at the build up of clouds. She turned and walked back to Sarah. "Will you be much longer?" she asked. "We could be in for a storm."

Sarah glanced up at the sky. "Only a few more minutes," she replied. "I've just got to connect the generator cable."

"Good," said Jenny, hearing a distant rumble of thunder.

"Right," Sarah said to Becker. "Get your men to start up the generator."

Becker nodded and called his men on his radio. "You'll have power in two minutes," he said to Sarah.

Sarah finished checking the connections and settings. "Well," she sighed, her finger hovering above the ON switch. "Here's hoping."

Lester sighed and shook his head. "Amateurs," he said quietly.

"OK," said Becker. "You should have power now."

Sarah nodded, crossed her fingers and pressed the button. There was a loud crackling noise and a smell of ozone.

"Well?" asked Lester, walking up to Sarah. "Where's the anomaly?"

Sarah shook her head and looked at the machine, puzzled as to why it wasn't working. "I'm not sure," she replied.

Lester shook his head.

"Look," said Sarah, becoming rather annoyed. "I'm an archaeologist, not an electronics expert. If Conner were here."

"But he's not, is he Doctor Page," Lester replied.

Sarah was about to bite back when they heard another rumble of thunder. "I'll recheck the alignment," she snapped, turning back to the machine.

"Not again," sighed Abby, seeing two raptors appear from out of the forest. "Connor, you need to get that anomaly open, like now," she whispered, trying to stay as calm as she could.

Connor glanced round and saw the raptors. "OK," he said to himself, quickly setting the device. "This should take us to where Danny and Helen are," he added, holding up the device and pressing the activation button.

Abby tried not to move as one of the raptors sniffed around her. 'This is it,' she thought, as the raptor drew closer. She could feel herself trembling as the raptor continued to sniff around her.

The second raptor sniffed the dead pterosaur, it looked up for a second, then plunged its head down, ripping the flesh from the flank of the pterosaur.

Abby looked on in horror. 'That'll be me in a moment,' she thought, shaking even more. She closed her eyes as the raptor lifted its head. "Bye Connor," she whispered.

The anomaly burst into life, startling the raptors. They gave nervous barking sounds as they retreated.

Abby opened one eye and glanced around. "That was close," she said, scrambling towards Connor.

Connor shuddered as he recalled his dream. "Come on," he said. "Let's get through the anomaly and I can close it before those things come back."

Unfortunately Connor wasn't quick enough getting up, his injured ankle hampering his movements. The raptors hadn't strayed far. They saw Abby frantically helping Connor to his feet and started to run at them.

"Look out," called Connor, pulling Abby out of the way as the first raptor jumped at them. The raptor missed and disappeared through the anomaly.

Connor and Abby looked at each other. "I hope Danny's not waiting on the other side of that," said Abby.

The second raptor, seeing its companion suddenly vanish, hesitated, unsure what to do. It was just enough time for Connor and Abby to get to their feet and go through the anomaly.

"I hope that raptor's not waiting for us," said Connor, as they disappeared through the sparkling anomaly.

Danny dived for cover as he saw the raptor appear through the anomaly. The raptor's attention was on the fleeing hominids. It started to run after them, snapping this way and that as the hominids split up and ran in different directions.

Danny felt for his gun, but it wasn't in his belt. He looked on the ground around him, thinking he must have dropped it as he dived for cover, but the gun was nowhere to be seen. "The river," he sighed. "I must have lost it when I rescued the boy." He noticed something else appearing through the anomaly, he picked up a large rock ready to defend himself.

"Wow," yelled Connor, holding up his hands. "It's us mate."

Danny sighed as he saw Connor and Abby appear through the anomaly.

Abby looked at Danny. "You haven't seen a raptor, have you?" she asked.

"Speaking of which," added Connor, turning and using the device to close the anomaly. "There's one just on the other side of this."

"You mean like that one?" put in Danny, nodding towards the raptor that was angrily chasing the hominids.

"Ah," said Connor, pointing at the raptor. "You weren't." He stopped and pointed to the ground.

"Yes," replied Danny, rather annoyed. "Thanks guys."

"Shouldn't we help them?" asked Abby, watching as the raptor continued to chase the hominids.

"You wouldn't happen to have a gun, would you?" asked Danny.

Abby and Connor shook their heads.

"Pointed sticks then," sighed Danny, picking up a long stick.

"Hang on," said Connor, opening his backpack. "How about this?"

Danny smiled as he saw the stun grenade in Connor's hand. "That's just earned you my forgiveness," he said, taking the grenade from Connor.

"You'll need to get it away from them," said Abby, nodding at the hominids.

Danny pulled the pin of the grenade.

"Hang on," said Connor, recalling what happened the last time they'd used a stun grenade. He crouched down and put his fingers in his ears. "OK," he said, opening his mouth.

Danny whistled loudly. The raptor stopped and turned. It saw Danny and Abby standing waving and moved towards them. Danny let go of the pin and threw the grenade. "Down," he shouted, diving for cover.

Abby followed. She covered her ears just as the grenade exploded.

After a few moments, they looked up, checking to make sure the raptor was down. It lay on its side, stunned by the blast.

"So, what do we do with it?" asked Abby, sitting up and looking at the raptor.

"Kill it," replied Connor. "Before it comes round."

"Can't we take it back through the anomaly?" asked Abby, her love of life and animals taking over.

"What, with its mate waiting on the other side?" Connor replied.

"We can't just kill it," said Abby.

"But it's a raptor," added Connor.

"It's a living thing," sighed Abby.

"Err, guys," put in Danny, breaking up the bickering. "I think the decision's out of our hands," he added, pointing towards the raptor.

Abby looked, then turned away, as the male hominids started hitting the raptor's head with large stones. "Poor thing," she sighed.

"Poor thing," said Connor. "It almost ate you for lunch, and you feel sorry for it!"

"It was only following its instinct," Abby replied.

"Instinct," laughed Connor.

Danny shook his head. "You two bicker like you're married," he sighed, getting up and walking towards the group of hominids standing around the dead raptor.

Connor and Abby looked at each other. "Do we?" asked Connor.

Abby wrinkled her nose. "Nah," she replied, turning to follow Danny.

"Abby," called Connor.

"What?" sighed Abby.

"I could use a bit of help," said Connor, holding out his hand. "I lost my stick back there."

"Come on then," replied Abby, helping Connor to his feet.

"Come on," muttered Sarah, angrily, moving the machine slightly.

"Need a hand?" asked Becker, moving to help Sarah.

Sarah turned to snap, not realising it was Becker. "Err, yes," she said, calming down a little. "It needs to be pointed a little more to the left," she added, showing Becker the position on the hand scanner.

Becker nodded, leaned his shotgun against the box Sarah had been sitting on, then moved the machine. "OK?" he asked.

Sarah checked the scanner. "Seems about right," she said. "Let's hope," she sighed.

"It'll work," nodded Becker, picking up his shotgun. "OK," he called to his men who were stationed on the roof. "Get ready."

They moved into position, ready in case the anomaly opened and something came through.

Sarah looked round at the expectant faces. "Here we go," she called, crossing her fingers as she pressed the switch.

Again there was a loud crackle and the smell of ozone as energy was transferred from the machine to the closed anomaly.

Lester shook his head and started to turn. 'This isn't going to work,' he thought, already going over the conversation he was about to have with the minister.

"Come on," said Sarah, noticing a slight blurring of the air around the emitter of the machine.

"Can you boost it a little?" asked Jenny. "Maybe it needs more power."

Sarah nodded. "A little," she replied. "But if that indicator goes into the red, then it will burn out the circuits."

Jenny nodded. "Do it," she said.

Sarah boosted the power. "Come on, you can do it," she said.

"What's that?" asked Jenny, pointing at a dull glow in the air.

Lester turned back, hoping his call to the minister would be postponed.

"I can see something," called Becker, who was standing closer to the glow. "It could be an anomaly, but it's not forming properly."

"More power," said Lester, walking up to Sarah. "You need to give it more power."

"But," replied Sarah, pointing to the indicator, which hovered just below the red zone.

"Do it," ordered Lester. "Damned if we do, damned if we don't."

Sarah understood. She nodded and slowly upped the power, hardly able to watch as the indicator went further into the red.

Suddenly there was a flash of light. At first, Sarah thought it was the storm getting closer, she closed her eyes waiting for the rumble of thunder, but there was just silence. Sarah opened her eyes and stared open mouthed at the sparkling anomaly that hung in the air not twenty feet from where she stood.

"You did it," laughed Jenny, giving Sarah a hug. "You've opened the anomaly."

"Well, don't just stand there," said Lester. "Go and find them."

Jenny turned and looked at Lester. "Me?" she asked. "You want me to go through that thing?"

Lester just looked at Jenny.

"Oh no," protested Jenny. "I draw the line at that."

"I'll go," said Sarah.

"You need to stay and keep an eye on the machine," said Lester. "Jenny will have to go, that's what I brought her back for."

"And if I don't come back?" Jenny went on. "Or come back as someone else."

"Claudia Brown perhaps?" put in Lester. "Or perhaps there might be two of you." He shook his head. "That would be too much to bear."

"Look," Sarah interrupted. "The machine seems stable. Even the power's settled back under the red. There's nothing more I can do here."

"I'll watch the machine," said Jenny. "One of the technicians can help."

Lester looked from Jenny to Sarah. "I'm sure I'll regret this," he sighed.

Sarah gave a quick jump. "Yes," she smiled. "A chance to see the past rather than dig it up."

"Hello," smiled Connor, giving one of the young hominids a wave. "I'm Connor," he added.

The youngster just looked at Connor.

"He doesn't understand," said Connor, turning to Abby.

Abby shook her head. "He's a she," she sighed.

"Oh, err, right," stammered Connor, glancing at the young female. "I didn't, well," he continued. "You know."

Abby rolled her eyes. "Notice," she sighed.

Connor shrugged. "Well, it's not polite," he said, blushing slightly.

The head male looked at Connor and Abby, then at Danny.

"My friends," said Danny, pointing to Connor and Abby.

Abby noticed the scars on Danny's arm. "They look nasty," she said, taking hold of his arm. "I've got the medical kit in my bag," she added, taking off her backpack.

The female hominid who had seen to Danny's arm moved closer, curious to see what Abby was doing.

"Friend of yours?" asked Abby, noticing the female.

"She fixed my arm up," Danny replied. "Got this helping them chase away some sort of big cats."

The female moved a little closer and crouched down, watching as Abby finished bandaging Danny's arm.

"Hope it meets with her approval," smiled Abby, putting the medical kit back into her bag and noticing the female inspecting the bandage.

"They're quick learners," said Danny. "And intelligent."

"I bet Sarah would love to be here," said Connor. "First hand knowledge of early hominids."

The male hominid moved over to Danny and put his hand on Danny's shoulder. He made a noise and pointed.

"That's our cue to move," said Danny.

Both Connor and Abby looked curiously at Danny.

"I've picked up a couple of things," smiled Danny.

"So I see," smiled Abby, noticing the female hominid walking close alongside Danny.

"Believe it or not," Danny went on. "They know where there's another anomaly."

"How do you know that?" asked Abby.

Danny told them about the drawing and how the hominids had recognised it.

Connor took out the device and switched it on.

"See you found it," said Danny, gesturing to the device.

"Helen must have dropped it before she went through the anomaly," replied Connor.

"Speaking of Helen," said Abby.

"Dead," cut in Danny. "Raptor got her."

"That must have been pleasant," put in Connor, pulling a face.

"Well, actually," added Danny. "It jumped her while they were on a ledge. They both fell. Killed both of them."

"Can't say I'm sorry," said Connor.

Abby thought of her close encounter with a raptor. "Still not a nice way to go," she said.

"Nor was shooting Cutter the way she did," put in Connor.

"She'd lost the plot a long time ago from what I could tell," said Danny.

"Err, guys," said Connor, looking at the device. "I hate to tell you this, but there's not much power left in this thing."

"Well, if this other anomaly's open, we may not need it," said Danny.

"I'll have to see where it leads," replied Connor, switching off the device. "We don't want to go through it and find we're falling from a cliff or something."

"I just hope it helps us get home," added Abby, as they followed the hominids who were leading the way towards the anomaly.


	5. Chapter 5 The Return

Chapter 5 (nb. added easier to see breaks between scenes)

"Sir," said one of Becker's men as they reached the other side of the anomaly. "Have you seen that?" he added, pointing off to one side.

"That's just great," sighed Becker, seeing a smoking volcanic fissure.

Sarah looked at the rising smoke. "This sort of fissure is quite common for this area," she said. "Problem is, they can erupt without warning."

"Pity we couldn't move the anomaly," sighed Becker. "Put it in a safer place."

"Connor was working on that too," Sarah replied. "The coils and things in the diagrams were to contain an anomaly, not to actually open one."

"Expense for nothing," said Becker, mimicking Lester.

"At least it's all there for Connor," shrugged Sarah. "When we find them," she added with a sigh, looking around at the vast unfamiliar scenery.

"We could be searching for days and still not find them," said Becker, checking the terrain.

"No sign of any tracks sir," said one of Becker's men.

"I doubt if this is the same anomaly," put in Sarah.

Becker nodded. "The other side of this doorway is on the roof of the ARC."

"Exactly," sighed Sarah. "So goodness knows where the anomaly is that the others came through to get here."

"If they ever did get here," added Becker.

"They're here," replied Sarah, taking her camera from her pocket.

"You do realise," said Becker, noticing Sarah taking pictures. "No one will ever be able to see those."

"I don't care," Sarah replied. "I just want to keep a record of this."

"Come on," said Becker, taking a last look at the smoking fissure. "It doesn't look like we have much time."

They stopped on top of a small rise and looked around. "So, which way?" asked Becker.

Sarah shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine," she sighed. "They could be anywhere."

"Or nowhere," put in Becker.

"But we know from the map that this is the right place," said Sarah.

"They may have moved on," Becker replied, scanning the area with his binoculars. "If they found Helen's trail."

"Let's not go there," sighed Sarah. "We'll assume they are still here. Somewhere," she added, taking another look around.

Becker spotted something and nudged Sarah. "This might interest you," he said, handing her the binoculars and pointing to a shrubby outcrop.

Sarah gasped as she looked through the binoculars. "Early hominids," she said excitedly. "They're beautiful. Can we get closer?" she added, looking at Becker.

Becker shook his head. "Better not," he replied. "No telling what sort of reception we might get."

"They look placid enough," said Sarah, taking another look. "I just want a few pictures."

"Those rhino things looked placid until they were spooked," said Becker. "Nearly killed all of those campers."

Sarah nodded. "You're right," she sighed.

"If we had to defend ourselves," added Becker.

"We could change the future," sighed Sarah, taking one last look at the hominids.

"So," said Becker. "The anomaly's that way, the fissure's that way and the group of hominids is that way."

"So we go that way," added Sarah, pointing towards a green wooded area.

Becker nodded. "Come on," he said to the four men he'd brought along for security. "Spread out and keep your eyes open."

----------

"I must stop," said Connor, as the pain in his ankle grew worse. "I need to rest my ankle."

"OK," said Danny. "Take ten."

Abby helped Connor to sit down. "I can have a proper look at this now," she said, pushing up Connor's trouser leg.

"Careful," yelped Connor. "Just touching it is painful."

Danny turned to the female hominid. "We have to stop," he said, pointing to Connor. "He's hurt his foot."

The female looked at Connor then turned and hurried to catch up to the others.

"You seem to get on OK with them," said Abby, as she removed the bandage she'd used earlier to support Connor's ankle.

Danny shrugged. "Perhaps I'm part caveman," he smiled. "I might just stay here," he added, sitting down beside Connor.

"Really?" questioned Connor.

Danny grinned. "Who'd look after you lot," he said. "But," he added, taking a deep breath. "Just smell that clean air."

"You could always come back for a holiday," laughed Abby.

"Hey," said Connor. "We could start our own tour company. See the real past. Ow," he added, as Abby carefully removed his boot.

"Oh, Connor," said Abby, pulling a face. "When did you last change your socks?"

"It wasn't high on the priority list," Connor replied. "Run after Helen, save humanity, avoid dangerous dinosaurs, oh yes, and change my socks."

"OK," said Abby. "I was just joking."

"That looks nasty," said Danny, looking at Connor's bruised and swollen ankle. "Looks broken to me."

Abby nodded. "I think it is," she said, touching one side of Connor's ankle.

"Careful," said Connor, flinching at even the gentlest touch.

The hominids returned and gathered round Danny, Connor and Abby. The lead male looked at Connor's foot and gestured to the female. The female hurried off, taking some of the others with her.

"I'd better strap this up again," said Abby, taking out the medical kit. She was about to start when the lead male put his hand on her shoulder. A slight tingle ran down Abby's spine. It felt odd being touched by someone who had technically been dead for millions of years.

"I think he wants you to wait," said Danny.

Abby shrugged. "OK," she said, wondering why.

After a few minutes the female returned with the others, all carrying the berries and leaves that Danny recognised. 'This should be interesting,' he thought.

The hominids proceeded to chew the berries and leaves, just as the female had done for Danny's wound. The female collected the chewed up mush and started to smear it onto Connor's ankle.

"Oh, gross," sighed Connor, trying not to flinch as the female applied the poultice.

Once Connor's ankle was covered, the female pointed to the bandage. Abby nodded and started wrapping the bandage around Connor's ankle.

"You're lucky," laughed Danny. "You should have seen what she used to cover this up," he added, lifting his bandaged arm.

"Oh?" questioned Abby. "What was it?"

"Don't ask," smiled Danny.

"You know," said Connor. "It feels better already."

"Obviously some kind of analgesic properties in the leaves and berries," said Abby, glancing at the hominids. "I bet Sarah would be interested."

"I thought the same," put in Danny.

There was a loud scream and one of the female hominids came running up to the others, pointing frantically behind her and making various strange noises. The others looked around, picking up what ever they could use as weapons and stood either side of the head male, waiting.

"You stay here," Danny said to Connor. "Abby, with me."

Danny picked up a sturdy stick and quickly sharpened it with the knife he'd taken from Helen. "Here," he said, passing it to Abby. "We need to help these people."

Abby nodded as she took the stick from Danny. She stood with the hominids, ready to meet whatever had scared the female.

----------

"They went through there sir," said one of Becker's men, pointing to a small grove of spiny bushes. "Mainly females by the look of them."

Becker nodded. He turned to Sarah. "We can't keep going around these, err, people," he said. "We'll end up going in circles."

"You're right," agreed Sarah. "We'll just have to be more careful, try not to startle them," she added, taking her camera from her pocket.

"No one would believe you," said Becker, nodding at Sarah's camera. "They'd say it was just people made up to look like them, or that the pictures had been altered."

"Like I said," shrugged Sarah. "I don't care. I know they're real. That's all that matters."

Becker motioned to his men. "Take it easy," he called quietly. "Don't make any sudden moves."

They all turned as a scream echoed through the bushes.

Becker waved to his men, using hand signals to send them off in various directions. "Stay with me," he whispered to Sarah, taking out his sidearm and handing it to her. "Do you know how to use this?" he asked.

Sarah nodded. "I'm not a very good shot though," she said, putting her camera away.

"Just point and pull the trigger," said Becker. "You'll be fine."

They headed off, walking cautiously through the bushes, alert for any danger.

----------

"I see them," whispered Danny, who had joined the lead male. Danny had fashioned another spear for himself and stood ready. "Looks like more of those cat things," he added.

Sure enough, out of the dense undergrowth near some shrubby trees, came six large cats.

The head male gestured to one of the females who gathered the youngsters together and took them to where Connor was sitting.

"Hi," smiled Connor, trying to reassure the youngsters. "Don't worry," he added, putting his arm around the young female he'd seen earlier.

The adult female looked at Connor, then turned and joined the others.

The cats, by this time, were closing in on the group of hominids.

"Get ready Abby," called Danny. "These things are fast."

Abby readied herself, watching as the cats moved closer.

The head male made a grunting sound and the hominids carrying rocks and stones threw them at the cats. The cats jumped deftly, avoiding all but one of the stones. The stone hit the lead cat directly between its eyes, making it stagger, stunned by the blow. The head male ran forward carrying a heavy stick. He swung at the cat catching it on the side of the head. The cat fell to the ground.

"It's not dead," said Abby, noticing the cat was still breathing. "It's not dead," she shouted to the male hominid, who was backing up, returning to the group.

The male stumbled just as the cat got up. Abby ran forward and jabbed the back of her spear into the ground just as the cat pounced. There was an eerie screech as the cat landed on the spear, falling to one side, dead.

The screech incensed the other cats. They started to move forward again, baring their teeth and growling wildly.

"Get back Abby," called Danny.

Abby pulled her spear out of the dead cat and joined the lead male. They backed up until they were in the relative safety of the group.

"One down," said Danny.

Again the hominids started to throw stones and rocks, trying to beat back the oncoming cats. The cats were too nimble, avoiding the stones with ease as they drew closer.

Danny prodded at one of the cats with his spear, trying to catch it in a vulnerable spot. The cat parried Danny's spear with its paw, almost knocking it from his grasp. The lead male took another swipe at one of the cats, which ducked out of the way, catching the male on the arm with its claws. The male dropped his stick and the cat attacked again, this time catching the male on the leg, knocking him to the ground.

Danny was over in a flash, prodding at the cat with his spear. "Get him clear," he shouted, seeing blood pouring from the male hominid's leg.

The male managed to stand up. He put his hand on the wound on his leg then looked at the blood on his hand. He looked at Danny, shook his head, picked up his stick and jumped at the cat, swinging wildly with the stick as he did.

The cat was surprised by the sudden attack and was caught on the head by a stunning blow from the stick. The cat lashed out with its paw as it fell to the ground, catching the male and knocking him into the path of two of the other cats. They were on him in an instant.

Danny took a step forward and thrust his spear into the prostrate cat with all his might. The cat seemed to shake for a moment, then slumped to the ground, dead.

"Danny," called Abby. "They're after the kids."

Danny turned and saw two cats moving in on the children and Connor.

Connor sat hugging the children, trying to protect them as best he could.

"Help guys," pleaded Connor, looking around for his backpack containing the last two stun grenades.

----------

"That way," said Becker, gesturing to where the noise of the deadly battle between hominids and cats was coming from. "Close up," he said to his men. "Sarah, stay in the middle."

Sarah nodded and moved behind Becker. "Listen," she said.

"What?" questioned Becker.

Sarah shook her head. "I thought I heard Danny's voice," she said.

Becker listened and shook his head.

"There," said Sarah. "It's Abby."

Becker nodded. "OK, let's move in," he said. "And be ready."

They moved out of the bushes and stopped, stunned at the site that met them. Sarah gazed open mouthed as she saw Danny and Abby fighting alongside a group of hominids, battling large cats.

"Becker," called Sarah, pointing to the two cats that were almost on top of Connor and the young hominids.

Becker and his men levelled their guns and fired. The two cats were hurled sideways by the impact of the bullets.

Everything seemed to stop for a second. Danny, Abby and Connor looked round on hearing the gunfire. The hominids crouched down, unsure what was happening. The two remaining cats backed away slightly, frightened by the noise of the weapons.

"What kept you?" shouted Connor, still holding onto the young hominids.

"You're welcome," smiled Becker, moving over to the two dead cats, kicking them to check they were dead. He gestured to his men, who moved to cover everyone from the remaining cats. One of the cats made a move forward, but was cut down by automatic gun fire before it had moved three steps. The last cat turned and fled into the bushes.

"Thanks," smiled Danny, putting his hand on Becker's shoulder. "I thought we were goners for a moment."

"No problem," said Becker, looking around. "Is that all of them?" he asked, kicking one of the cats again.

"I think so," said Danny.

"How did you find us?" Abby asked Sarah. "How did you get here?"

Sarah smiled. "We found an anomaly on the roof of the ARC," she said.

"What, it just happened to open?" asked Abby.

Sarah shook her head and looked at Connor. "I used your notes and converted the prototype locking device."

"You mean it worked," smiled Connor, rather shocked that it had actually worked. "Yes," he added, making a fist.

"What," added Danny. "You made it?" he asked Sarah, a little bemused.

"It wasn't that difficult," shrugged Sarah, a little upset at Danny's remark.

"What about power?" asked Connor, still surprised at the fact that his idea had worked.

"Used a generator," Sarah replied. "Thought I was going to blow up the prototype at one point, but." She stopped and shrugged. "Here we are," she added, looking around in wonderment. "In the middle of a group of early hominids."

Danny looked over to where the hominids stood, surrounding the dead body of their leader. He sighed and walked slowly over to the group.

"What's wrong?" asked Becker, taking his sidearm from Sarah, as she fumbled in her pocket for her camera.

"It's the leader," said Abby. "He was killed in the fight."

Becker nodded.

Sarah knelt down beside Connor and the youngsters. "I must get some pictures," she said, checking the screen of her digital camera.

"Come on kids," said Connor, sitting the youngsters down beside him. "You too Abby," he added.

Abby knelt down behind Connor and put her arms around his neck. "How's this?" she asked, smiling at the camera.

"Great," replied Sarah.

----------

"I hope they aren't too long," sighed Jenny, looking at the darkening sky. "That storm's getting closer," she added, just as a flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by the rumble of the thunder. "Is it me, or did the anomaly just waver?" she asked the technician who was sitting on a box watching the machine.

"Everything seems OK," said the technician. "All the readings are normal."

Jenny looked at the anomaly again. "It was probably just a trick of the lightning," she said, feeling a drop of rain on her face. "Is this waterproof?" she asked the technician.

"I'm not sure," replied the technician. "But I somehow don't think it will be."

Jenny turned to one of the soldiers stationed near the anomaly. "You," she said. "We need plastic sheeting to cover all of this."

"Yes ma'am," replied the soldier, running towards the door that led from the roof.

"I hope the rain keeps off until we get this covered," sighed Jenny, looking at the grey clouds above her head and feeling more drops of rain on her face.

----------

Danny knelt down beside the female who had dressed his wounds. He could see tears in her eyes as she looked down at the torn body of the leader. It was then that Danny realised that they must have been mates. He looked at the female and pointed. "You were his mate," he said quietly, pointing to the dead male.

The female just looked at Danny, oblivious to what he was saying.

Danny sighed and put his hand on the shoulder of the female. "I'm sorry," he said. "I wish I could have saved him."

Sarah looked on at the tragic scene. "I never thought it would be like this," she said to Abby. "I didn't realise how." Sarah stopped, trying to think of the correct word. "Human they would be," she eventually said. "Do you think they'd mind?" she added, holding up her camera.

"Perhaps if you took some pictures from here," replied Abby. "They won't know what you're doing anyway."

Sarah nodded and used the zoom on her camera to get some closer shots. "This is fascinating," she said, watching the hominids as they mourned the death of their leader. "Who would have known," she added. "I could write a book." She stopped and looked at Becker. "I know," she sighed. "No one would believe it and Lester would probably have me arrested for leaking government secrets."

"Probably," smiled Becker.

"Now what are they doing?" said Sarah, engrossed in what was happening.

The hominids were collecting stones and using them to cover the dead male.

"Fascinating," sighed Sarah, taking more pictures.

"It's their way of burying their dead," said Danny, rejoining the others. "I saw some others doing it with the ones Helen killed."

"You mean she actually did kill some of them?" said Sarah, becoming angry. "I knew she was crazy, but to kill just for the sake of it."

"She wanted to wipe out mankind," shrugged Danny.

"So where is she?" asked Becker.

"Dead," Danny replied. "Met her match eventually," he added, explaining what had happened.

"Won't she have altered the future?" asked Abby. "Killing the hominids I mean."

Connor shook his head. "We found them in the future," he explained. "So they must have died now. If she hadn't killed them, then that might have altered the future."

"That's what I told Becker earlier," said Sarah.

Danny sighed and scratched his head. "If you say so," he said, rather puzzled. "It's no wonder Helen went mad trying to work all of that out."

"Looks like they've finished," said Abby, nodding towards the approaching hominids.

Sarah continued to take pictures of the group.

The female stood in front of Danny and held out the stout stick her mate had wielded during the fight.

Danny was about to take it when Sarah interrupted.

"I think she wants you to be leader," said Sarah. "If you take that, you'll be accepting."

Danny hesitated for a moment. He looked at the female and shook his head. "I can't," he said. "I need to go home."

The female offered Danny the stick once again.

"You can't take it," said Sarah. "They need a leader of their own kind."

"I know," sighed Danny, shaking his head once again. He took hold of the female's hands and gently pressed them around the stick, pushing it towards her. "You should be the new leader," he said.

The hominids started to make low guttural noises, touching the female as they did. The female looked at Danny and nodded.

Sarah looked on in wonderment. "She nodded," said Sarah, astounded. "She understands."

Danny glanced at Sarah. "One thing I've found out," he said. "They're certainly not stupid."

Sarah shook her head, still amazed at the hominids behaviour. "If this ever did get out," she said. "It would alter the history books completely."

"Look, I hate to spoil the party," said Becker. "But I think it's time we were going. There's not much daylight left and it's about five miles back to the anomaly."

Danny nodded. "OK," he said, reluctant to leave his new found friends. He looked at the female. "We have to go now," he said.

The female looked at Danny.

"We," said Danny, pointing to his group. "Have to go," he added, pointing off in the general direction of the anomaly.

The female gave a quiet grunt and nodded.

"I think she understands," said Danny.

The female took a step towards Danny and put her hand on his chest. Danny was unsure what he should do. He glanced at Sarah, hoping she might have an idea.

"I think she's saying goodbye," said Sarah. "She's waiting for you to do the same."

"But," Danny hesitated, glancing quickly at the female's chest.

Sarah smiled. "I don't think they have the same sexual overtones they have in modern days," she said.

Danny nodded and carefully placed his hand on the female's chest. "Bye," said Danny, a little sad at losing his new friends. He picked up a rock and moved over to where the male was buried and placed it on the pile.

The others followed Danny's lead, placing their stones carefully on the male's grave. Abby followed on last. She found a small white flower that grew nearby and placed it on the grave. "Come on," she said to Connor, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go."

Danny gave the hominids one last wave, turned and followed the others into the bushes as they headed back to the anomaly.

----------

"We got this covered up just in time," said Jenny, as the rain started to fall heavily. There was a blinding flash, followed almost instantaneously by the clap of thunder. Jenny instinctively ducked. "That was almost overhead," she said to the technician. "Are you sure it won't affect the anomaly?"

"As long as we keep feeding it power," replied the technician. "It should stay open."

"I hope you're right," sighed Jenny, just as her mobile rang. "James," she said, ducking under the plastic sheeting to keep her mobile dry.

"Is everything OK up there?" asked Lester, who had beat a hasty retreat when it had started to rain.

"Oh, everything's just great," replied Jenny. "It must be difficult for you sitting down there in a warm dry office," she added sarcastically.

"Well, you know," sighed Lester. "Hazard of leadership."

There was another flash of lightning, followed by the thunder.

"Sounds close," said Lester, walking over to the window. "I hope you've got that thing well covered up," he added. "We don't want it getting wet."

"No, we don't," snapped Jenny, feeling the cold rainwater running off her hair and down her back. "I'm soaked to the skin, but the precious machine is dry."

"Good," replied Lester. "That's what I like to hear. Keep up the good work," he added, ending the call. "I do enjoy these team talks," he said to himself, putting his mobile in his pocket. "It's a good way of keeping up moral," he added, straightening his tie.

"That man," snapped Jenny, angrily shoving her mobile in her pocket. "Now I remember one of the reasons I left," she added, going back into the pouring rain.

"Err, Miss Lewis," said the technician. "I think we may have a problem."

----------

"We need to hurry," said Becker, as they made their way through another tangle of bushes.

"I can't walk too fast," said Connor, still limping heavily.

"Well," Becker replied, as they emerged from the bushes. "If you want to get caught in that," he added, pointing to the smoking volcanic fissure.

"Can't anything go smoothly," sighed Danny, looking at the rising smoke column.

They felt the ground shake slightly.

"I don't think we have much time," said Sarah. "Earth tremors quite often precede eruptions."

Becker took out his binoculars. "Looks like the anomaly's still open," he said, seeing a faint glow in the distance.

"As long as they keep feeding it power from the other end," said Connor. "It should stay open indefinitely."

"What about the thunder storm?" asked Sarah.

"Sorry?" questioned Connor. "What thunder storm?"

"On the other side," explained Sarah. "There was a thunder storm approaching when we left."

"That could be a problem," sighed Connor. "If the lightning strikes the anomaly."

"Is that bad?" asked Danny.

"At least what," Connor replied, thinking for a moment. "One hundred million volts or so hitting the anomaly. That would be bad."

----------

"Now what?" sighed Jenny.

"That last lightning strike," said the technician, pointing to the readings. "It's sent all the readings haywire."

Jenny glanced at the readings then at the anomaly. "It still looks OK," she said, just as a bolt of lightning hit the roof of the ARC with a loud crack. The energy from the lightning dissipated through the wires that ran from the anomaly device down to the generator, sending showers of sparks into the air as the metallic wire vaporized and the outer insulation caught fire.

The technician moved just in time as showers of sparks burst from the anomaly machine, sizzling as they cooled in the rain puddles on the roof.

Jenny's phone rang again. "Yes," she sighed.

"Sorry ma'am," came a soldier's voice. "The generator's shot. That last bolt of lightning."

"I know," Jenny interrupted. "The anomaly machine has gone too," she added, ending the call. She looked at the anomaly, still sparkling as it hung in the air. "It's still open," she said to the technician.

"For now," replied the technician. "But with no power to keep it open." The technician shrugged.

"So it could close at any time," sighed Jenny, trying to call Lester. "Damn," she snapped. "The rain's got to my phone now. Keep an eye on that," she added, pointing to the anomaly. "I'm going down to see Lester."

"Ah, Jenny," said Lester, meeting her in the corridor. "I've been trying to get hold of you."

"My phone's dead," replied Jenny, pealing off her soaked jacket. "The rain got into it."

"You really should be more careful," said Lester.

Jenny was speechless, she just glared at Lester.

"I've just been informed that the generator's dead," Lester went on.

"Yes," replied Jenny. "The lightning hit the cables."

"And the anomaly whatsit?" asked Lester.

"That's gone too," replied Jenny. "And before you ask. No it can't be repaired, well not by me anyway."

"And the anomaly?" asked Lester.

"Still open, for now," Jenny replied. "But it could close at any time."

"No sign of Quinn and the others I suppose," sighed Lester.

"What do you want me to do James?" snapped Jenny. "Go through and look for them?"

"Not a bad idea," replied Lester.

"Now look," started Jenny.

"Just joking," said Lester, holding up his hands. "What would I do if you went missing too," he added. "We'd have no one to tackle the anomalies."

"And I thought you cared," snapped Jenny, turning to return to the roof. "Oh," she added as she walked away. "You owe me a new phone."

"Oh, Jenny," Lester called after her. "Get a dry jacket." He turned to go back to his office. "Wouldn't want you off sick with flu," he added. "At least not until this crisis is over."

----------

"Not far now," said Becker, recognising the high ground they'd stood on when they'd first arrived.

"Great," sighed Connor. "I don't know how much longer I can walk on this."

"You've done really well," said Abby, still helping Connor to walk. "And you haven't complained like you usually do," she added with a grin.

"That shows he's really bad," put in Sarah. "They always complain at the least little thing, but when it's something serious."

"I'm not that bad," protested Connor. "I can be brave."

They all went quiet as another tremor rocked the ground.

"The sooner we get to the anomaly the better," said Danny. "That tremor was worse than the others."

One of Becker's men came hurrying up. "There's lava coming up out of that fissure near the anomaly sir," he reported. "It's creeping towards the anomaly."

"Is the anomaly still open?" asked Becker.

"Yes sir," replied the soldier.

"Right," said Becker, turning to one of the other men. "You, give him your pack and carry Connor."

"Sir," said the soldier, taking off his pack.

"Wow, hang on," complained Connor, as the soldier picked him up, put him across his shoulders and started carrying him. "How undignified is this?" Connor added, looking at Abby.

"Shut up Connor," said Abby. "We'll get there quicker this way."

"See," panted Sarah, as they hurried along. "Least little thing and they start moaning again."

----------

Jenny found a dry jacket and went back onto the roof. She sighed with relief seeing the anomaly was still open. "Any change?" she asked the technician.

"There seemed to be a slight fluctuation after the last flash of lightning," replied the technician.

Jenny looked at the anomaly. "Stay open," she said.

Another flash of lightning lit the darkened sky, followed by the rumble of thunder.

Jenny watched the anomaly intently, looking for any sign that the team was returning. Her heart skipped a beat as the anomaly dimmed and shrunk, then returned to normal. She glanced at the technician.

"Looks like it could close at any moment," said the technician.

"Come on Danny," muttered Jenny. "Where are you. No," she cried, falling to her knees and putting her head in her hands, as the anomaly finally flickered and disappeared. "They're trapped," she cried, her tears mingling with the rain that continued to fall.

"Almost there," panted the soldier who was carrying Connor. "No more than two hundred metres."

"Glad I haven't had anything to eat," replied Connor, being jiggled up and down as the soldier ran. "I think I'd have thrown up by now."

"It's fading," shouted Sarah, as she ran towards the anomaly.

"Please," yelled Danny. "Not again."

They were almost at the anomaly when it faded and died.

"Why have you stopped?" asked Connor, unable to see what had happened.

"The anomaly's closed," panted the soldier. "We were so close," he added, putting Connor down.

They all stood in silence looking at the spot where the anomaly had been.

"That's twice," growled Danny, angrily kicking at a stone.

"It must have been the storm," sighed Sarah, wearily sitting on a large rock.

Another tremor shook the ground, almost knocking the group over.

"That's not good," said Abby, looking at the fissure.

Molten lava flowed even faster out of the fissure as smoke and steam billowed upwards.

"We need to get away from this," said Sarah. "Some of those gases are poisonous."

"Not to mention the hot lava," added Danny, feeling the heat as the lava drew closer.

"I'm an idiot," said Connor, taking his backpack from Abby. "I've got Helen's anomaly device," he added, opening the backpack and taking out the device.

"You'd better hurry," said Becker, watching the advancing lava. "Or we'll all be toast."

Connor switched on the device. "I hope there's still enough power in this," he said, frantically fiddling with the controls.

"Connor," said Danny, his skin starting to burn with the heat from the approaching lava. "Hurry up."

"Yes," replied Connor. "Ready," he added, holding up the device and pressing the activation button.

"Nothing's happening," shouted Abby, also feeling the heat from the lava.

"Come on," yelled Connor, shaking the device. "Work." He felt his skin tingle as the device operated, forming a bright, sparkling anomaly in front of him. "Yes," he shouted. "It's worked."

"Through, now," yelled Danny, almost throwing Abby and Sarah through the anomaly.

----------

"So what do we do now?" asked Lester, sheltering under a large golf umbrella.

"There's nothing we can do," sighed Jenny, getting to her feet, her trousers even wetter than they had been before. "The anomaly's closed and there's nothing we can do to open it again."

Lester walked over to the burned out prototype. "I assume this is just a pile of expensive scrap now," he said, tapping it with his foot.

"Connor might be able to fix it," said Jenny. "But unless they can get back somehow."

"I don't think the minister's going to be pleased when I tell him," sighed Lester, turning to return to his office.

"Is that all you can think about," yelled Jenny. "Money and the minister!"

Lester turned and faced Jenny. "Believe it or not," he said. "I'm as upset as you at losing them. It's just that I stay calm in a crisis."

"Only because you'll have to find a new team," snapped Jenny.

Lester moved a little closer to Jenny. "I gave Connor the use of my flat in town," he said quietly. "Lived to regret it, admittedly," he added. "But."

"OK," sighed Jenny, calming down a little. "I was a little overwrought. I'm sorry."

"Err, Miss Lewis," said the technician. "Look."

Jenny and Lester turned.

"Yes," cried Jenny, seeing the sparkling anomaly hanging in the air. "It's back," she added, giving Lester a hug.

The technician looked rather surprised at what Jenny had just done.

"Sorry," smiled Jenny, rather sheepishly. "I got carried away."

"That's perfectly understandable," replied Lester, also taken aback by Jenny's actions. "However, don't let it happen again."

"Something coming through," called one of the soldiers, readying himself.

Sarah and Abby came staggering through the anomaly.

Jenny moved forward, welcoming Abby and Sarah back as Connor, helped by Danny, came through the anomaly. "I'd move back if I were you," said Danny, welcoming the cool rain on his scorched arm.

Becker and his men were last through. "Better get this thing closed," said Becker. "That lava is only seconds away."

"What lava?" asked Jenny, turning to look at the anomaly.

"The other side of the anomaly," explained Sarah. "It's right next to a lava fissure."

"Err guys," said Connor, starting to panic. "The device, it's just died. I can't close the anomaly."

"What," said Danny, looking at the device. "Can't you do something?" he asked.

"Err, I don't know," Connor replied, frantically trying to make the device work.

"Lock it," put in Abby.

"We can't," said Jenny. "The locking device isn't here."

"Charge up the device," sighed Lester. "Get it to work."

"Yes," agreed Connor. "Err." He looked at the device. "We need an interface. Something to charge it with."

"What?" asked Abby. "Come on Connor, think."

"I am," said Connor, becoming even more flustered.

"Sir," called one of Becker's men. "I think we're a bit late," he added, gesturing to a small tongue of lava flowing slowly out of the anomaly.

The lava hissed and crackled as it flowed into a puddle of rainwater on the roof.

"It's starting to burn through," called Becker.

"Not again," sighed Lester. "We've only just rebuilt after Helen's little escapade."

Danny got hold of Connor and shook him. "Come on Connor," he said, shaking him out of his panic. "What do you need."

Connor took a deep breath. "This was charged by putting it into the console we found in the future," he said, looking at the device. "There's no means of connection that I can see."

"This hole's getting bigger," called Becker.

"So," continued Connor. "It must get its power from eddy currents, like in a transformer."

"Do we have that?" asked Danny.

"It's through the roof," called Becker.

"Better start evacuating the building," said Jenny.

"Becker," said Lester. "Get your men to use the fire hoses on the lava. Try and cool it down, minimize the damage."

"The emergency generator," said Connor. "It produces a magnetic field. That should work."

"Right," said Danny, taking the device from Connor. "I'll not be long," he said, racing off, heading for the emergency generator in the basement.

"Don't use the lifts," shouted Jenny. "You don't want to get stuck."

Danny gave a quick wave of acknowlagement.

"It needs to be running," called Connor. "To produce the magnetic field."

Danny had already disappeared through the roof door.

"I'll go," said Abby, running after Danny.

----------

"Danny," called Abby, running through the door to the basement. "The generator needs to be running."

"Right," said Danny, finding the generator controls. He pressed the start button. "Come on," he said, impatiently kicking the metal safety mesh that surrounded the generator.

The diesel motor of the generator fired into life. "About time," sighed Danny, holding the device close to the safety mesh. "Nothing's happening," he said.

"It needs to be closer," said Abby.

Danny looked at the safety mesh "Health and safety," he growled.

Abby looked up. "It's not too high," she said. "Give me a boost."

Danny helped Abby to climb up the mesh.

"Pass the device," said Abby. She leaned over, stretching as far as she could to get the device as close as possible to the generator. "It's working," she called. "The device is lighting up."

"Make sure it's got enough power in it," said Danny.

"Come on," said Abby, impatiently watching the power indicator climb. "That should do," she eventually said. "It's about half way." She threw the device to Danny. "Go," she called. "I'll manage."

"How far's it got?" panted Danny, seeing Becker in one of the corridors, helping his men as they tried to contain the lava.

"Three floors," called Becker, as Danny continued his race for the roof.

"Connor," called Danny, throwing him the device.

Connor caught the device, set the controls and pressed the activation switch. He sighed with relief as the anomaly finally closed, cutting off the flow of lava.

"Did it work," called Abby, running onto the roof.

"Yes," smiled Connor.

Abby jumped at Connor, wrapping her arms and legs around him. "You deserve that slushy now," she said, giving him a kiss.

The others looked on, not really surprised at their kiss.

Lester walked over to the hole in the roof and shook his head. "The minister will be pleased when I tell him about this," he said. "But, on the bright side," he added, looking at Connor. "We do have the anomaly device."

"So, Connor," said Jenny, moving over to where he and Abby stood. "How does this thing work?" she asked, taking the device from Connor.

"As far as I can tell," started Connor.

"Oh, never mind," Jenny interrupted. She grasped the device and threw it as hard as she could.

"What're you doing?" shouted Connor, watching as the device bounced then skidded towards the edge of the roof. It came to a halt, teetering precariously on the edge of the roof.

Danny jumped up and hurried to catch the device before it fell. His grab was just too late. He watched as the device fell from the roof and smashed into pieces on the concrete below.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Lester asked Jenny.

"It's brought nothing but trouble," said Jenny. "Nick Cutter, Steven Hart, Helen, Christine Johnson and goodness knows who else are dead. I don't even know who I am any more, Jenny Lewis or Claudia Brown."

Lester shook his head. "You're very sacked," he said.

Jenny walked up to Lester. "You forget," she said, taking off the military jacket she was wearing. "I don't even work here," she added, shoving the wet jacket into Lester's hands. "Now, I'm off to start my life. Oh, and don't forget about my phone."

For the first time in his life, Lester was lost for words. He watched as Jenny strode off and disappeared through the roof door.

The others looked at one another and shrugged. They too headed for the door, leaving Lester standing alone on the roof looking down the hole created by the lava.

"Shame about losing that device," sighed Sarah, as they all walked down the stairs from the roof. "It would have been great going back to ancient Egypt to see how they actually did live."

"Yeh," sighed Connor, following on behind, still being helped by Abby. He nudged Abby and opened his backpack.

Abby looked into Connor's backpack and saw the second anomaly device lying at the bottom of the backpack. She looked at Connor and smiled as he gave her a wink.

James Lester looked down the hole in the roof of the ARC and sighed. "I don't think the minister will be happy about this at all," he said, closing his umbrella, as the rain finally stopped. "There is one good thing," he added, as he headed for the roof door. "At least it missed my office."

THE END.

(PS. I have an outline for one last Primeval story which, for me at least, will round the whole thing up. I will publish it on FanFiction as soon as it's finished.)


End file.
